Bone of my Bone
by Jlbrew28
Summary: A cases reveals a long kept secret from Bone's past and causes conflict between her and Booth. Warning: Contains one scene of parental discipline.
1. Two Bodies in the Woods

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan (though, of course, he's dead from the get-go, so...) and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter One: **_**Two Bodies in the Woods**_

"Two bodies were found just outside the city in a stretch of woodland," FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth explained to his partner.

"Corpses or remains?" Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan asked him, curiously.

"Both," Booth said. "Cam's already there. The female is badly decomposed, but still more or less intact. The male is unidentifiable because there isn't much left of him."

"And you're sure their deaths weren't just accidents?" Bones asked, curiously.

"Yep," Booth said, parking his SUV on the outskirts of the crime scene. "The reason there's not much left of the man is because he was burned to a crisp."

"Right," Bones said, following him out.

They were met by Dr. Camille Saroyan, Bones' boss and Booth's former girlfriend.

She was the Jeffersonian Museum's resident pathologist, while Bones was its resident (and world renowned) forensic anthropologist.

"You can't be here," Cam said, looking at Booth.

"Why not?" Booth asked. "It's a crime scene, isn't it?"

"Yes---But you still can't be here, Seeley," Cam said, her face troubled. "Where's Parker?"

Booth frowned even more at this.

Parker was his nine year old son.

"He's at school," he told her. "What's going on, Cam?"

"I've identified the female victim, Seeley," she told him, seriously.

"And?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's Rebecca," Cam told him, sadly.

"W-What?" Booth asked, looking as if he had just taken a punch to the gut.

"Are you sure?" Bones asked her, quietly.

"Positive," Cam said, handing them something. "This was found near the bodies. If the man had one on him, it's nothing but ashes now."

Booth took what she had, which was a wallet, and found a driver's license.

It was indeed Rebecca—Parker's mother.

"I…uh…I don't understand it," Booth said, shaking his head. "It doesn't make sense."

"When was the last time you spoke to her?" Bones asked him, curiously.

"Friday," Booth said. "She dropped Parker off a few days ago, said she was going out of town for the weekend with her current boyfriend and she'd be back sometime this week."

"Do you know who the boyfriend is…or was?" Cam asked him. "It could be the male victim."

"Uh, yeah," Booth said, swallowing. "His name was, uh, _is_ Hunter—Bryan Hunter. He's a…"

"A college professor?" Bones asked, wide-eyed. "At Georgetown University?"

Booth frowned. "Yeah," he said. "How'd you know?"

Bones looked at Cam. "I need to see the male victim," she told her, seriously. "Immediately."

"Uh, sure," Cam said, glancing at Booth. "But I'm sure it can wait 'til…"

"No, it can't," Bones said, moving past her and under the yellow crime tape.

"You gonna be all right?" Cam asked Booth, hesitantly.

"Not sure," Booth said, looking like he might be sick. "But go—see what's wrong with her."

Cam nodded and then followed after Bones.

"What is it?" she asked her, curiously.

Bones was knelt down beside the heavily burned corpse of the male victim.

"It's him," she said, quietly. "It's Bryan Hunter."

There were tears in her eyes.

"How do you know?" Cam asked, curiously.

Bones reached down and pulled a necklace off the victim.

"Because I gave this to him," she told her. "We were…_close_…once."

"How close?" Cam asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bones gave her a penetrating look.

"Really close," she said, and then turned to head back to Booth.

"_That_ close," Cam muttered, a bit surprised. "Well, well…"

Bones wasn't known for having illicit affairs—or any affairs, for that matter.

Cam hurried after her as she headed back to Booth.

"We need to go," Bones told him. "Now."

"Why?" Booth asked, frowning.

"There's somebody we have to pick up," Bones told him, seriously.

"Who?" Cam asked, curiously.

"A suspect?" Booth asked at the same time, frowning.

He was still reeling from the shock of finding out the mother of his son had been murdered.

Bones stared him straight in the eye. "No…not a suspect."

"Then who is it, Bones?" Booth asked, exasperated.

"My son," she said, and then moved past him towards the SUV.

…

"Whoa, hold it," Booth said, grabbing Bones' arm and stopping her in her tracks. "What do you mean…_your_ son?"

"Well, legally, he's Bryan's son," Bones clarified. "I just gave birth to him."

Booth and Cam blinked at her; both obviously stunned by this.

Bones sighed.

"It happened eight years ago," she told them. "I was fresh out of grad school—just starting my career—it wasn't planned."

"And you just gave the kid up?" Booth asked her, angrily.

"No, of course not," Bones said. "I wasn't fit to be a mother then, Booth—you know how I used to feel about kids."

"Yeah, I do," Booth growled. "But if this kid really was—_is_—yours…"

"He's mine only in the biological sense," Bones told him. "I gave up my parental rights to Bryan—on one condition."

"What condition?" Cam asked, curiously.

"That the baby kept my name," Bones said, sighing. "Russ, at the time, had no kids and I didn't want kids, but I still wanted something of my parents to be remembered. Of course, that was before I found out they were criminals."

"Ok, so his last name is Brennan?" Booth asked. "What's his first name?"

"Hunter," Bones told him. "Hunter Brennan."

"Does the kid know?" he asked next.

"Yes, of course," Bones said. "I visit occasionally—once a month or so—and on his birthday and at Christmas—unless I'm out of the country, that is."

"Where's he at now?" Booth asked, frowning.

"School, of course," Bones told him.

"Private school?" Cam asked, curiously.

"Public," Bones said. "Bryan couldn't afford private school…"

"But you can," Booth reminded her, glaring.

"I tried to get him to let me pay for it," Bones said, sighing, "but he wouldn't let me. I think it offended his pride or something."

"No kidding," Booth said, snorting. "What's the name of the place?"

"Washington Elementary," Bones told them.

"That's Parker's school," Booth said, raising an eyebrow.

"I know," Bones said, quietly. "Hunter and Parker are in the same class this year."

"How do you know that?" Booth asked, frowning.

"The last time I visited, I saw his class photo," Bones explained. "I recognized Parker."

"You said he was eight, though," Cam said, puzzled. "How can they be in the same grade?"

"Obviously, the kid got his mom's high I.Q." Booth said, snorting. "Let's go."

Bones and Cam exchanged looks, each raising an eyebrow at the anger in his voice.

"I'll, uh, stay here and rap things up," Cam said, hesitantly. "I'll have the—uh—remains sent back to the Jeffersonian."

"We'll be there as soon as possible," Bones said.

"No, we won't," Booth stated, firmly.

"Why not?" Bones asked, confused.

"Because," Booth told her, firmly. "We have a couple of things to take care of—namely, Parker and Hunter."

"They'll have to be told," Cam said, quietly.

Bones swallowed, hard. "I don't think I can…"

"You have to," Booth told her, firmly. "You owe the kid that much."

Bones nodded, still hesitant. "Let's go get it over with."

Booth nodded and they headed for his SUV.

Cam watched them pull away, and then shook her head.

"Well, this should be interesting."

TBC…

A.N--Hi, guys (and girls, too...*smirks*). I know its been awhile, but now that I have internet back at home (Hooray!) I'll be able to do more uploading. This story came to me out of the blue and I know I've got another Bones story currently ongoing, but I gotta tell you I think that one may be going on the back burner...this story is really sizzling in my brain, if you know what I mean. I've actually got another chapter ready to upload, but I'm gonna wait to see what kind of response I get before I post it. So, please, tell me what you think...'Kay? Thanks.


	2. Hunter and Nana

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter Two: **_**Hunter and Nana**_

"You're angry," Bones said, noticing the way Booth gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white.

"I think I have the right to be _pissed_, Bones," he growled at her. "I have to go tell my little boy that his mom won't be coming home--because she's dead! That kinda, you know, _sucks_."

"I meant," Bones said, quietly. "That you're angry at me—for not telling you about Hunter."

Booth gripped them steering wheel tighter, his jaw tightening--trying not to say anything.

Unfortunately, he couldn't hold it.

"Five _years_, Temperance!" Booth said, angrily. "Five freakin' years we've worked together and you couldn't find a spare moment to tell me you've got a damn kid!"

He very rarely used her first name, which told her how upset he truly was at the moment.

"You didn't tell me about Parker right away," she reminded him. "In fact, you didn't tell me at all—I had to hear to hear about him from Hodgins."

"Yeah, but I wasn't deliberately keeping it a secret," Booth told her. "I would have gotten around to telling you--sooner rather than later."

"Booth, please," Bones said, sighing. "This is hard enough…"

"I know," Booth told her, shaking his head. "I'm sorry. It's not going to be any easier for you to tell Hunter about his dad than it is for me to tell Parker about Rebecca."

"How do you feel?" Bones asked him. "I mean, you once loved Rebecca, right?"

Booth again shook his head.

"I can't worry about me right now, Bones," he told her, seriously. "Parker is going to need me a lot right now…"

"Still," Bones said, hesitantly. "It couldn't hurt to talk to Sweets sometime…"

"I don't need to talk to the Kid, Bones," he grumbled, sourly. "I'll just go the shooting range…or find a suitable annoying ice cream truck."

Bones started to say something, but then decided not to.

Instead, she asked, "What do I tell Hunter?"

"I can't tell you that, Bones," Booth told her. "But don't let it come from your head—make sure it comes from your heart."

"Why?" Bones said. "I'm better with my head than my heart."

"But kids aren't," he told her. "Kids don't think the way adults do, Bones. They act on instinct, on emotions, on what's happening in the here and now, and they _don't_ analyze things. They do or they don't. They're emotional beings—not rational ones."

It was Bones' turn to sigh.

"I think I understand," she said, as they pulled into the parking lot of the elementary school.

"Good," Booth said simply, getting out. "Let's go."

Bones nodded and followed him inside.

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan," the office secretary greeted them, friendly. "It's nice to see you again. Are you here to check Parker out?"

"Yes, we are," Booth said. "Or at least I am."

"I'm here to pick up Hunter Brennan," Bones told her. "If you look on his card, you'll see I'm listed on his release form."

The young woman nodded and checked the cards on her deck that had all the children's information, including who could and couldn't pick them up, in the school.

"You're right," she said. "You are. I'll have them sent up here. It'll be just a minute."

Booth and Bones nodded and took a seat while they waited.

Booth noticed the tense way Bones sat—a sure sign she was nervous.

He reached over and took her hand.

"Everything's going to be all right, Temperance," he whispered to her. "I don't really know how right now, but it is. I promise."

She smiled at him.

"Thank you for that, even if it wasn't very rational," she told him. "Seeley."

She _never_ used his first name, which told him how vulnerable she was feeling right then.

"Tell me this," he asked her, seriously. "Was it easy? Giving up Hunter, I mean?"

She swallowed, hard.

"It was the hardest decision I ever had to make," she told him, truthfully. "But I knew, rationally, that I wouldn't have been the best thing for him then. I'm not sure I am now, either."

"I _am_," Booth told her, grinning, "and you _are_."

She smiled at him and started to say something back to him, but then the office doors opened and the boys were escorted in.

They both stood to greet them.

Hunter Brennan was only a few inches shorter than Parker, but while Booth's son was blonde the other boy had dark brown—almost black—hair.

His eyes—which were a piercing blue—and his facial features showed he was indeed Bones' son.

Parker had a rounded face and was rosy cheeked while Hunter's face was leaner and paler.

Bones' son also wore glasses.

The two boys were almost like a pair of opposing books ends, almost.

"Dad," Parker greeted his father. "Why are you checking me out so early?"

"Something's come up, pal," Booth told him. "I'll explain later. Okay?"

"Okay," Parker said, turning to the boy beside him. "This is my best friend, Dad. His name is Hunter."

"Hey there, Hunter," Booth said, holding out his hand for the boy to give him 'five'. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hi," Hunter said, shyly. He didn't slap Booth's hand, merely stared at it in puzzlement.

_Yep_, Booth thought, _definitely Bones' kid._

Hunter then stared past Booth—at his mother.

"Hello, Hunter," Bones greeted her son. "How have you been?"

"Okay," Hunter replied. "What are you doing here? Dad or Nana usually picks me up?"

"Nana?" Booth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Bryan's mother-in-law," Bones explained. "His parents are dead. His wife, Sarah, couldn't have children. She died ten years ago from cancer. Her mother, Cynthia Graham, has helped him raise Hunter."

"Ah," Booth said, glancing at the two boys. "Say, guys, I bet you haven't had lunch, yet. Right?"

The boys nodded.

"What do you say the four of us go grab a bite to eat?" he suggested, putting on a big smile for them.

"Can we go to McDonald's, Dad?" Parker asked, hopefully.

"Do you like McDonald's, Hunter?" Booth asked the other boy.

"Yeah," Hunter answered. "I love it."

"Thought so," Booth said, smiling. "C'mon, let's vamoose."

Parker automatically reached up and took a hold of his father's hand as they led the way out of the office.

Hunter looked at Bones, who smiled and held out her hand to him.

He smiled back at her and took it.

"I've missed you," he told her, as they followed Booth and Parker out of the school.

"I've missed you, too," she told him, truthfully. "How's school going this year?"

"Great," he said, smiling. "I got all A's on my report card. Dad is gonna bring me back something when he gets back from his trip."

Bones felt her heart constrict in her chest and felt tears form in her eyes.

Here her little boy was expecting his father to bring him back a present for doing well on his report card and she was going to have to tell him that wasn't going to happen—because his dad wasn't ever coming home.

How was Booth holding it together so well?

Of course, this _was_ Booth she was thinking about.

His strength, physically or emotionally, never ceased to amaze her.

Just as they were reaching the SUV, a tan colored Cadillac parked beside it and a woman in her early fifties got out.

Hunter let go of Bones' hand and ran to her.

"Nana!"

…

"Nana!" Hunter ran to the older woman and hugged her. "Look who came to pick me up." He pointed at Bones.

"Hello, Temperance," Cynthia Graham greeted her, friendly.

She was a graceful older woman in her early fifties, dressed in a white blouse and tan color slacks and jacket.

Her shoulder length blonde hair had only the barest traces of silver in it and her piercing blue-green eyes showed no signs of age—nor did her face, except for a few worry lines around her mouth.

"Hi, Mrs. Nana," Parker greeted the woman with a big huge smile, showing he'd obviously met the woman before. "This is my dad."

"So," Mrs. Graham said, smiling at Booth. "You're the famous Agent Booth Parker has told me so much about. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I don't know about famous, ma'am," Booth told her, "but I am an FBI agent." He shook her hand.

"What are you doin' here, Nana?" Hunter asked her, curiously.

"Um, well, Sweetie…" Mrs. Graham said, hesitantly glancing a Booth and Brennan.

"She's going to lunch with us," Booth told the boys, quickly. "At least, I'm sure she will if you two ask her really, _really_ nicely."

Both boys smiled and turned pleading looks upon the older woman.

Mrs. Graham laughed. "Of course I will," she told them. "Where are we going?"

"McDonalds!" the boys exclaimed at the same time.

"Why am I not surprised?" Mrs. Graham told them, shaking her head at them affectionately.

"You're welcome to ride with us, Cynthia," Bones told her, gently. "Booth's SUV is big enough."

"I'd love to," Mrs. Graham said, smiling.

They all piled into the SUV and Booth drove to the nearest McDonalds—one that, to the boys' great thrill, had a playground area attached to it.

"Okay, guys," Booth said to the two boys as they entered the fast food restaurant. "How about us men go use the bathroom and wash our hands before we eat?"

"Okay," Parker and Hunter said at the same time, and followed him to the men's room.

Bones turned to Mrs. Graham immediately. "You've heard?"

The older woman nodded. "Yes," she said, sadly. "I'm guessing you two are on the case."

"Yes and no," Bones told her. "I'll be allowed to determine the cause of death, but Booth and I can't officially get involved beyond that."

"Conflict of interest," Mrs. Graham guessed. "My late husband was an Agent, as well."

"Rebecca is Booth's former lover and the mother of his child," Bones explained.

"And Bryan was yours and the father of your child," Mrs. Graham said, quietly.

"Yes," Bones said, uncomfortably. "We intended to tell the boys as soon as lunch was over."

"I guessed that was the reason you were there to pick them up," Mrs. Graham said, sadly. "It is something I would not wish on anyone, dear."

Bones didn't reply to that, merely remained focused on the case.

"I'm sure Booth will have questions for you," she said, "but did Bryan say anything before he and Rebecca left?"

"No," Mrs. Graham said, shaking her head sadly. "He just called and said he needed me to watch Hunter for a few days. He did do one thing strange that worried me, though."

"What's that?" Bones asked, curiously.

"He gave me this," Mrs. Graham said, pulling some folded papers from her purse. She handed them to Bones.

Bones took it and looked at it. "His Will," she said, surprised.

Mrs. Graham nodded.

"You'll notice he left primary custody of Hunter in the event of his death to you," she said, quietly.

Bones swallowed, nodding.

"I never asked him to, Cynthia," she assured her. "I know how much Hunter means to you…"

"He's your son, Temperance," Mrs. Graham reminded her, grinning. "I have no legal claim to him, remember? He the grandson of my heart, yes, but not by blood."

Bones sighed. "Do you think I can do it?" she asked her, curiously.

"Be a mother to him?" Mrs. Graham asked, gently. "Of course I do—I always have."

"Really?" Bones asked, surprised.

"When Sarah passed away, Temperance," Mrs. Graham told her, "I thought my heart would never mend, but then when Bryan asked me to help him with Hunter it began to. As I've gotten to know you over the years, you've helped it even more."

"How?" Bones asked, curiously.

"You were a daughter without a mother," Mrs. Graham told her. "I was a mother without a daughter. In some small way, we've filled that need for each other a little bit."

Bones smiled.

Cynthia was the one she always called and asked for advice about what to get Hunter for his birthday or at Christmas--Bryan, she had notices, was completely clueless most of the time.

"I think that is very true," she told her. "Thank you."

"And thank you," Mrs. Graham said, hugging her. "I know you and Bryan were no longer close, but the two of you shared a son…"

"Just as Booth and Rebecca shared one," Bones told her, quietly. "He says we can't worry about ourselves right now—that the boys have to come first."

"And he's right," Mrs. Graham told her.

Bones nodded, agreeing.

"He usually is," she told her, smiling.

They both chuckled at that.

Just then, Booth and the boys returned.

"All righty, then," Booth said, clasping his hands together and rubbing them. "Who's hungry?"

Bones smiled.

The weight on her shoulder lifted ever so slightly...

TBC…


	3. Telling the Boys

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter Three:**_** Telling the Boys**_

After everyone finished eating, Parker and Hunter played on the attached playground.

While the boys played, the adults talked.

"So, Bryan leaves you his kid and his Will," Booth said to Cynthia Graham. "Did he say anything else before he left?"

"Only that he and Rebecca were going away for the weekend," Mrs. Graham told him. "I asked if he needed me to watch Parker, but…"

"He told you he was with me, right?" Booth asked, smirking.

"Right," Mrs. Graham said, sighing. "I just don't see how anyone could want to kill Bryan."

"Bryan may not have necessarily been the intended victim," Bones said. "For all we know right now, Rebecca could have been the target just as easily."

"But, who?" Booth asked. "And why?"

"I don't know," Bones told him. "A jealous ex…?"

"That would be me, Bones," Booth reminded her, rolling his eyes. "Remember?"

"Rebecca has had other boyfriends besides you," Bones reminded him, seriously.

"Yeah, but none of them were as serious," Booth said. "I mean, we share a kid."

"Shared," Bones said, and then winced. "Sorry."

Booth sighed. "Right now, we just don't have enough answers," he said, "and there's still those two to worry about."

He nodded to the two little boys crawling through a big yellow tunnel and waving at them from the bulbous windows on the sides of it.

All three adults waved back.

"What do you suggest happens now, Agent Booth?" Mrs. Graham asked him, curiously.

"Until we can get some clearer pictures," Booth said, "I'd feel a lot better if you and Hunter were in protective custody—Parker, too."

"The lab is pretty secure," Bones reminded him. "Why not go there?"

"An eight year old and a nine year old can't stay cooped up in a very boring—and expensive, I might add—lab, Bones," Booth told her. "I'm not saying not go there for a little while—let you get busy on figuring things out, but we'll need someplace to go after that."

"Your place is bigger than mine," Brennan reminded him. "Since Dad moved in, anyway…"

"I know," Booth said, "and I was thinking the same thing. The boys can share Parker's room, you can take my room, and Cynthia can sleep in the guest room."

"Where does that leave you?" Mrs. Graham asked him, curiously.

"Sleeping on the couch," Booth told her, "but that's okay—any trouble and I'll hear it better there, anyway."

"Is protective custody really necessary?" Mrs. Graham asked, curiously.

"Whoever murdered Bryan may have been looking for something—information or documents he had—and if they didn't get them…" Bones explained.

"...they may believe he gave whatever it is to you," Booth concluded for her.

"He only gave me Hunter and his Will," Mrs. Graham said, frowning.

"Possibly," Bones said, "but the murder or murders don't know that. Booth's right, Cynthia, protective custody is the best way to keep you and Hunter safe."

"And you, Agent Booth, and Parker, as well," she reminded her, smiling.

"Yes," Bones said, hesitantly. "I'll have to call Dad—he can pack a bag for me and bring it to the lab."

"I'll need to head home and get some things for myself and Hunter," Mrs. Graham said. "Bryan didn't bring him much, so I may need to stop by their house…"

"I wouldn't advise that," Booth said, shaking his head. "Typically, the victim's house is the first thing they search—they could be waiting for you there. Just bring whatever he has at your house. We can always go shopping."

"We should get going, then," Bones said, looking at her partner. "Any answers we need won't be found at McDonalds, that's for sure."

"We'll drop Mrs. Graham off at her car," Booth said. "I'll call and make sure a couple of agents are outside your house waiting on you—just to be on the safe side. They'll bring you to the Jeffersonian after that."

Mrs. Graham nodded. "All right," she said. "Will you two be going there next?"

"Yes," Bones said at the same time Booth answered, "No."

They looked at each other.

"Why not?" Bones asked him frowning.

"We have something to do first," Booth told her, his eyes traveling to the two boys who were still playing.

Bones swallowed, realizing what he meant. "Where?"

"The park," Booth said. "It's quiet, not too crowded this time of day, peaceful…"

"I see," she said, quietly. "Very well, then."

Mrs. Graham reached out and squeezed her hand. "You'll do fine, dear," she assured her. "Just be honest with him."

"But not too honest," Booth told her, sternly. "He doesn't need the details. Got it?"

She had a tendency to want to tell the victim's families in just what state the remains of their loves were in—something they didn't _want _or really _need_ to know.

Bones stood up. "Let's go, then."

Booth nodded, as he and Mrs. Graham also stood up. He waved to the boys.

"Parker, Hunter," he called to them. "Time to go, buds."

The two little boys ran over to them.

"Where are we going to go now, Dad?" Parker asked his father, curiously. "Home?"

Bones noticed Booth swallow nervously. "To the park, bud," he told him, "but not to play."

"Oh," Parker said, obviously confused.

If they weren't going to the park to play, why were they going at all?

The natural logic of a child...

"Am I going to the park or with Nana?" Hunter asked, staring at her curiously.

Bones wished she could tell him the latter—because the former meant she would have to tell him his father was dead.

_He __**is**__ dead, Temperance_, she reminded herself. _He has to be told._

She glanced down at her son.

"You're going to the park, too."

…

After dropping off Mrs. Graham at her car, with instructions to pack only a small amount of necessities and calling those agents that would be waiting for her at her house, Booth drove them to the park.

In the afternoons and on weekends, this particular park was crowded with children and their families.

Now, though, it was quiet—almost eerily so.

Or that just could have been Bones' perception of things--given her state of mind at the moment.

She was _not_ looking forward to what she was about to do.

While Booth took Parker and sat him down on one of the swings, kneeling down so that they were eye level with each other more or less, Bones and Hunter went over to on of the near by benches.

"Something's wrong," Hunter said, staring at her seriously.

"Why do you say that?" she asked him, curiously.

"I can tell," he said, shrugging. "Your eyes are sad."

Bones swallowed, trying to steady her nerves.

_He's very observant_, she couldn't help but think. _Like Booth_.

"Yes, that's because I'm sad right now," she told him, truthfully.

"Why?" he asked her.

Reaching into her pocket, Brennan removed the necklace she had taken from Bryan Hunter's remains.

"Do you recognize this?" she asked him, curiously.

"That's Dad's," Hunter told her, frowning. "Where did you find it?"

"I didn't find it, Hunter," Bones told him. "Do you remember what I told you I do for a living?"

"You look at people's bones," Hunter said, "and tell how they died—that's so cool!"

"I guess it is," she told him, "but most of the time it makes me very sad—sometimes more than others."

"Why?" Hunter asked her, curiously.

"Because it means somebody has died, been murdered," she told him. "That makes my heart hurt."

It was a little strange to hear herself talk about her heart, when she was usually more focused on her head.

But she remembered what Booth had said—that kids were creatures of the heart rather than the head.

She knew her son had a high I.Q.—would more than likely finish school at a young age as a result—but he was still a child and children _felt_ things.

They couldn't help it.

"This morning, Booth and I were called to look at some bones that had been found in the woods," she told him. "These bones made me even sadder than usual."

"Why's that?" Hunter asked, though his eyes had gone very wide.

"Because," Bones told him, feeling tears stinging her eyes, "these bones belonged to your dad, Hunter. They were Bryan's bones."

"B-But that means…" Hunter said, shaking his head. "My dad's dead?!"

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Parker lunge into his father's arms—crying.

Obviously, Booth had told him already.

Booth was better at this than her, apparently.

When it came to the heart and people, he usually was.

She nodded, wiping at the tears that leaked from her eyes. "I'm afraid so," she told him. "I'm so sorry."

Tears welled up in Hunter's blue eyes and then he lunged at her—and began to sob heartbrokenly into her chest.

Something awoke in her at that moment, something that had been there all these years—slowly thawing—and she wrapped her arms around him and started rocking him gently.

"You're not alone," she whispered comforting to him. "I'll never let you be alone. I promise."

As he continued to sob and she continued to rock, she couldn't help but glance at Booth.

Parker was still crying on his shoulder and he was rubbing circles into the little boy's back.

His eyes met hers.

_Good job, Bones_, they said.

Her eyes replied: _You, too._

For better or worse, fate had decided.

She was now a mother.

Perhaps...just maybe...she had always been meant to be one.

TBC…


	4. Back in the Lab

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter Four**_**: Back in the Lab**_

Booth's cell phone buzzed.

Still cradling his son with one arm, he answered it with his other. "Booth."

He listened a few moments. "All right. Thanks, guys."

Closing his phone, he put it away and then gently pride his son's head from his chest.

"We have to go now, buddy," he told him, gently. "We need to get to Dr. Bones' lab."

Parker wiped at his tear-stained face. "Why, Dad?" he asked, sniffing.

Booth felt his heart constrict.

His son had just found out his mother had been killed.

He needed time to grieve and mourn her loss.

Unfortunately, he also needed justice.

Only time would help with the first two, but he [Booth] could certainly get him the third.

"Dr. Bones and me are gonna help find out what happened to your mom and Bryan, buddy," he promised him. "They're gonna go to jail for a long, long time."

"You're really gonna catch the bad guys that hurt Mom?" Parker asked, somewhat skeptically. "How?"

"Bones is good at her job, buddy," he reminded him. "She can do it, trust me."

"Are we going to the museum where she works?" his son asked.

"Yep," Booth said, smirking, "and maybe Mr. Max will be there. I bet he could show you and Hunter some really cool science experiments. You like those."

Since Bones' father had started working at the Jeffersonian as a tour guide for kids, doing whacky and cool science experiments for them, he and Parker had really bonded.

Parker really didn't know his Pops too well and so Max had become a surrogate grandfather for him.

Getting up, picking Parker up as he went, he headed over to Bones and Hunter—who were still locked in a heartfelt embrace.

She looked him in the eyes. "What is it?"

"Mrs. Graham is at the lab waiting on us," he told her. "We need to go now."

She nodded. "Hunter, did you hear that?" she asked her son, quietly.

Lifting his head from her shoulder, the eight year old rubbed his snotty nose with his shirt sleeve.

Booth couldn't help but grin at that.

"Hear you go, pal," he said, handing him a hanky. "Your sleeve's not exactly made for that, you know."

"Thank you, Agent Booth," Hunter replied, blowing his nose. "Here you go." He started to hand it back to him.

"Uh, you go ahead and keep it, bud," Booth told him, earning a smile from Bones. "I've got plenty at home."

"We need to go to where I work," Bones told her son. "Your Nana is waiting there for us."

"Oh," Hunter said, "okay." He glanced at Booth.

"Agent Booth?" he asked, solemnly.

"Yeah, pal?" Booth asked, staring down at him.

"Are you going to catch the bad guys that hurt my dad and Parker's mom?" he asked him, seriously.

"You better believe it, bud," Booth told him, confidently. "Your mom is the best bone detective in the world."

Bones smiled at him.

He had never called her a 'bone detective' before.

Oddly enough, she liked it.

She stood up and Hunter did the same. "We should go. I'll call dad on the way."

Booth nodded and they all headed for his SUV.

Bones called Max and told him to pack her a bag, why she needed him to do that, and to meet them at the lab as soon as possible.

They arrived at the Jeffersonian in record time and all headed inside.

Cam, Hodgins, Angela, and Sweets were waiting on them.

They were all staring at Hunter, wide-eyed.

"Do all of you work with my mom?" he asked them, curiously.

They all nodded, unable to speak.

"Quick," Booth whispered to Bones. "Get a camera."

"Why?" Bones asked, frowning.

"Because, we may never see those four speechless again," Booth quirked a smile.

"This is hardly the time to be joking around," she reminded him, seriously.

"I know that, Temperance," he told her, equally serious. "But somebody's got to keep a smile—otherwise the boys are going to get depressed and despondant. Do you want that?"

She shook her head. "Of course not," she said, quietly. "Where's Cynthia?" This was asked of her team.

"She's in your office, Sweetie," Angela responded, still staring at the little boy beside her.

"And the, uh, remains," Cam told her, "are waiting in the recovery room with Zack." **

She nodded, placing a hand on Hunter's shoulder.

"My office is over here," she told him, and began guiding him toward her office.

Booth and Parker followed after her.

They entered her office to find Mrs. Graham sipping a cup of coffee.

She stood up as they entered.

"Your associates are very nice, Temperance," she told Bones.

"Yes, they are," Bones said, grinning. "Did you get everything you needed?"

"For myself, I did," Mrs. Graham said, "but Hunter only had a few items of clothing with him when Bryan dropped him off and most of those were dirty. I didn't have time to do laundry yet."

"That's okay," Booth said, "I can always take the boys shopping."

Bones frowned at that. "Now?" she asked him, thinking this was hardly the time or place.

"Yes, now," he whispered to her. "They'll just get bored here, dwelling on their dad and mom, and besides--we wouldn't want the stumbling upont he remains, would we?"

"I see your reasoning," Bones told him, undersanding now. "Maybe Dad would like to go along with you?"

"Go along where?" Max asked, entering the office. "Heya, Sweetheart, here's the bag you wanted. What's going on?"

He glanced down at Hunter, a big smile on his face. "Hiya, Hunter, how ya been?"

Bones and Booth blinked at her father. "You know?"

Max smirked, shrugging.

"Of course, I know," he told her. "You may not have seen me for fifteen year, Sweetheart, but that didn't mean I wasn't watching."

Bones frowned, not sure how to feel about that.

"Who are you?" Hunter asked him, curiously.

"I'm your Grandpa Max, buddy," Max told him. "I'm Tempe's dad."

"You never told me about him before," Hunter accused Bones.

"He wasn't relevant before now," Bones told him, simply.

A throat being cleared had them looking in Mrs. Graham's direction.

"Oh, excuse me," Max said, smiling charmingly. "I'm Max Keenan, Tempe's ole man." He held out his hand.

"Cynthia Graham," Mrs. Graham said, returning the hand shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Keenan."

"Oh, please, call me Max," Max told her. "Everybody does—even my daughter, sometimes."

"Then you must call me Cynthia," Mrs. Graham said, smiling back at him. "I'm Hunter's Nana—my daughter was married to Bryan before she passed away."

"Ah, I see," Max said, and then glanced at his daughter. "Now, where would I like to go?"

"Shopping," Booth told him. "With me and the boys. Hunter and his Nana are gonna be staying at my place for a little while and he didn't have that many clothes with him."

"Protective custody?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Booth told him, truthfully.

"Tempe, too?" Max asked, knowingly.

"Yes," Booth told him again.

"Got room on the floor for me?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dad, that's not necessary," Bones insisted.

"Sweetheart," her father told her. "You might be a brilliant, independent forensic scientist and noted author, but your still my daughter and its still my job to look out for you."

Booth smiled at that.

"I reckon having another set of eyes and ears wouldn't hurt any," he told him, "but you can have the couch 'stead of the floor. I'll sleep in my recliner."

"Great, my bag's out in the car," Max said. "So, we're gonna take these two kids shopping, huh?" He glanced at Parker and Hunter, patting both on the head.

"There's not much for us to do around here," Booth said, "and your brilliant daughter needs a chance to get to work."

Max nodded. "How about it, Hunter?" he asked. "Would you like to get to know your ole grandpa better?"

"Yeah," Hunter exclaimed, excidedly.

It seemed, for the moment, his grief had been pushed to the back of his mind.

Parker seemed excited, as well.

Bones was amazed at the reciliency of children...

"Would you like to come too, Mrs. Graham?" Booth asked her, curiously.

"Actually, Seeley," Mrs. Graham said, "I think I would very much like to stay here. I've never been in a forensics lab before."

"That okay with you, Bones?" Booth asked her, curiously.

"Of course," she said, smiling. She handed him a credit card.

"What's this?" he asked her, curiously.

"For Hunter's clothes," she told him.

He handed it back to her. "I've got it covered," he insisted.

"Booth," she started to protest, but he interrupted her.

"Let's roll, guys," he said to Max and the two boys. "The mall's awaitin'!"

"Booth!" Bones called after him, angrily. "Come back here and take this card!"

He merely waved his hand at her as they all headed for the exit.

Bones glared at his retreating back, seething.

A quiet chuckle had her looking at Mrs. Graham.

"He's most definitely something else, Temperance," she said, smiling.

"Yes," Bones said, sighing. "I know."

"You had best get to work," Mrs. Graham said. "They can only keep the boys preoccupied for so long, dear."

Bones nodded and then grabbed her blue lab coat. "Come meet my assistant, Dr. Addy," she said. "I must warn you though…"

"I'm a big girl, Temperance," Mrs. Graham assured her. "I'll be fine. Lead the way."

Bones nodded and led the way to the recovery room, where Zack and Bryan's bones waited.

Hopefully, by the time Booth and her dad returned with the boys she would have a few more answered than they did right now.

No, scratch that.

She _would_ have a few more answers than they did now.

Of that, she was absolutely certain.

…

"So, what's all this about, Booth?" Max asked the FBI Agent as they headed for the closest mall.

Booth glanced in the rear view mirror, finding Hunter and Parker both seemingly staring into space out the windows.

Poor kids...

His heart broke again for his son...and Bones'.

"Two bodies were found this morning," he explained to the older man. "They turned out to be Parker's mom and Hunter's dad--they were seeing each other."

"What a coincidence," Max stated. "Your ex and Tempe's ex seeing each other. What are the odds?"

"It's not _that_ big a city, Max," Booth told him, snorting. "It could easily happen."

"Yeah, and it did," Max said. "So, what's the deal? How'd they die?"

"That's what I'm hoping your brilliant daughter will be able to tell me once we get back with the kids," Booth told him, grinning.

"Don't forget beautiful," Max told him, grinning.

"Huh?" Booth asked, frowning.

"My brilliant and _beautiful_," Max told him, chuckling.

Booth smirked. "Yeah, I know," he told him. "Believe me."

"Uh huh," Max said, glancing out of the corner of his eye. "So...have you talked about it, yet."

"About what?" Booth asked him, hesitantly.

Max gave him a whithering look. "Three weeks ago, Tempe met you at that pub for drinks with your brother and his fiancee, remember?"

"Yeah..." Booth said, somewhat nervously.

"She did not come home until nine o'clock the next morning," Max told him. "It might have been awhile since I did it, Booth, but I certainly remember those types of situation real well."

Booth swallowed. "It was a one time thing," he said, "I swear."

"Why?" Max asked, frowning. "You love Tempe, I know you do."

Again, Booth glanced in the rear view mirror at the boys.

They either weren't listening, hopefully, or they were only pretending not to.

"It's complicated," Booth told him, quickly.

"Like Hell it is," Max growled at him, keeping his voice pitched low. "Its the simplest thing in the world."

"She doesn't want to be more than work partners," Booth insisted, stubbornly. "She said so."

Max snorted. "I love my daughter, Booth," he told him, "but you know what she says and what she really feels are two different things."

"I know," Booth said, "but..."

"No, no buts," Max said. "If you've got the balls to sleep with her you've got 'em to tell her you love her and want to marry you."

"Whoa, wait a minute," Booth said, taking a turn just a little too sharply. "What?!"

"C'mon, you and Tempe are bit past the 'dating stage', don't you think?" Max told him. "Just take a leap of faith and pop the question."

"And when she says no, what then?" Booth asked, angrily.

Max stared him straight in the eye. "Don't take no for an answer, son," he told him, firmly. "She loves you, too."

Booth thought about that, not sure what to say.

"Uh, Dad?" Parker said. "We just missed the mall."

Booth sighed.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said, doing a hasty U-turn.

Max smirked.

Bulls-eye.

Hook-line-n-sinker.

Got'em.

TBC...

** For the purpose of this story, Gormogon never happened—so Zack is still Brennan's assistant. (I don't much care for any of the 'interns'—I kinda liked Wendell until they hooked him up with Angela.)

*** Oh, and how did you like my little plot twist? There's going to a few more along with the way. *smirks* Please, review.


	5. Difficulty Concentrating

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 5: **_**Difficulty Concentrating**_

One would have thought that if anything would distract Dr. Temperance Brennan from examining the body of her former lover and the father of her eight year old son it would be memories of her time with said individual.

However, those weren't the memories that kept popping into her head as she stared down at Bryan's bones…

_They had just left the pub where she had toasted Jared and Padme on their upcoming nuptials and wished them well._

"_So, that speech you made back there," Booth said, smirking. "Did you mean it?"_

_She frowned at him, not understanding why he would ask her that. _

"_Of course I did," she told him, seriously. "Why would I have made the toast if I didn't…?"_

_He shrugged. "To be nice, maybe…"_

"_You know me better than that," she told him. _

_Yes, he certainly did. _

"_So," he said, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, "you really believe two people can truly love each other…it's not just a chemical reaction or whatever?"_

"_Well, I believe that attraction—and the drive for sex—is most definitely caused by a chemical reaction in the body," she told him, "but I also know that 'love' itself is more than those two things. It's about understanding the person you love, and knowing yourself well enough to know that you are capable of loving somebody else."_

"_Wow, Bones," he told her, smiling. "That's pretty deep…for you, I mean."_

"_What can I say?" she asked him, smiling coyly. "You've broadened my horizons, I guess."_

"_Oh, I have, huh?" Booth said, smirking charmingly. "That's interesting."_

"_Why interesting?" she asked him, curiously. _

_He shrugged. _

"_It just is, that's all," he said. "You know, it's not too late—why don't we go to my place for a little while."_

"_Okay," she said. "I told Dad I wouldn't be home 'til late, anyway."_

_He nodded and made a U-turn, headed for his place. _

_Once they arrived, they headed inside and he took her coat from her. _

_She immediately went and sat down on the sofa and he joined her there. _

_They sat there for a while, in silence, just staring at the other._

"_Bones," Booth whispered her name. "Temperance…"_

_She turned her head to ask him what he wanted when suddenly he leaned forward and kissed her soundly on the lips. _

_It wasn't the first time they had kissed, of course, but it was the first time she had allowed herself to feel the sizzling spark that it caused to race through her. _

_That one kiss erupted into a more passionate embrace, followed by a great deal of groping, and then clothes tossing, and finally…_

"Dr. Brennan?" Zack's voice caused her to look up from the bones she was examining. "Is everything all right?"

She blinked at her.

"Um, yes, Zack," she told her assistant. "Finish removing the flesh from the bones so that we can get a better idea of the damage done to them."

"Of course," he said. "I have the beetles waiting already."

Bones removed her gloves. "Very good," she told him. "Please, come get me once their clean."

He nodded and she headed out of the examining room.

Mrs. Graham joined her.

"If you don't mind me saying so, dear," she told her. "I couldn't help but notice you seemed a bit distracted in there."

Bones felt her stomach lurch, a sickening nauseas feeling coming over her.

"Uh," she said, hesitantly, "not at all. I always stare intently on a set of remains while I'm doing a cursory examination. Will you excuse me a moment?"

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Graham told her. "I'll just be waiting in your office."

Bones nodded and quickly headed for the bathroom—where she proceeded to unload the contents of her stomach.

When she was finished, she washed her face and stared at herself in the mirror.

Her blue eyes were wide with worry and suspicion.

"No," she whispered, "not again…"

…

Bones wasn't the only one who was a bit distracted.

Booth kept going over and over in his mind what Max had said to him in the car.

Oddly enough, it had echoed exactly what Gordon-Gordon had told him not very long ago.

"For God's sake, man," the British shrink-turned-chef had exclaimed, "just grow a pair already and tell the woman how you feel!"

Were they right?

Should he just come right and tell Bones how he felt?

Was this even the right time?

A case…a case that was personal…her son possibly in danger…his son grieving over the loss of his mother…

How could he bring this up now?

He sighed, frustrated.

"What do you think of these?" Max asked, holding up a pair of boy's blue jeans.

"Uh, their fine," he said, wondering why the man was asking.

"I was kinda asking Hunter, Booth," Max told him, nodding his head at the boy beside him.

Hunter and Parker both seemed intent on staying glued to his side—as they had not strayed away from him since they'd entered Sears.

He understood why that was, of course, which was why he didn't mind.

Parker had just found out he'd lost his mother…therefore he was clinging to the only remaining parent he had left to him.

Hunter had just lost his father…and was looking to someone who could fill that missing place in his life.

Perfectly understandable.

"How about it, bud?" he asked Bones' son. "You like those?"

"I guess," Hunter said. "Nana usually buys me this kinda stuff."

"I knew we should have brought her with us," Max said, smirking.

Booth raised an eyebrow at that.

"Uh huh," he said, smirking back.

"What?" Max asked, innocently. "We could use a woman's insight, that's all."

"Right," Booth said, not believing a word.

"Okay, so these are fine," Max said, quickly. "Let's get a couple more pairs and then see if they fit."

Booth couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

Well, what do you know?

Bones' old man might just have a crush on his grandson's grandmother.

Wasn't that kick in the…uh…pants?

"You old dog," Booth whispered to the older man, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Watch it, Booth," Max said, smirking. "Have some respect for your elders, young man?"

"Whatever you say," Booth told him, smirking. "_Dad_."

"You are so asking for it," Max told him, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I know," Booth said, chuckling. "Let's get this done. Okay?"

Max nodded and they quickly made sure the jeans fit Hunter and then moved on to shirts.

Luckily, the boy wasn't the least bit picky so that made it easier.

They got everything they needed and then went to the register.

"Here, Booth," Max said, reaching for his wallet, "I know you wouldn't take Tempe's card but…"

"Nope, I got it," Booth said, paying for the clothes.

"What now?" Max asked, curiously.

"We head back to the lab," Booth said, simply.

"Oh," Max said, "good."

Booth chuckled as they steered Parker and Hunter towards the exit. "I thought you'd say that."

Obviously, he couldn't wait to get back to talk to Mrs. Graham some more.

He knew couldn't wait to get back to see Bones.

He'd made his decision.

This time, he would tell her how he really felt.

He owed her that.

He owed himself that, too.

TBC…


	6. A Full House

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 6: **_**A Full House**_

_The sun beamed in her eyes, causing her to groan silently and roll over…directly onto a strong, muscular, and very bare, chest._

_Opening her eyes, she found her partner lying in contented sleep beside her—one arm wrapped around her own bare shoulders. _

_As she tried to disentangle herself gently from him, he started to stir._

"_Morning," he mumbled, grinning, "Bones…"_

"Bones…"

"Hey, Bones!" Booth's voice echoed off the walls as well as in her mind.

Bones looked up, blinking in confused surprised.

Booth stood in the door way of the examining room, where she had returned to the moment her stomach stopped rolling.

She swallowed. "You're back," she stated, obviously.

"Yeah," Booth said. "Cam's done with the autopsy and wants to compare notes."

"Where are the boys and Dad?" she asked him, curiously.

"Your Dad is in the lounge with Mrs. Graham," Booth told her, smirking. "I think he's got a thing for her."

Bones frowned. "A thing?" she asked, puzzled.

Booth snorted. "Yeah, you know," he told her, "as in he's got the hots for her."

"C'mon, Booth," Bones said, skeptically.

"I know nobody likes to think about their parents having sex, Bones," Booth told her, chuckling, "but Max is a man. He still has needs and it has been a long time since your mom died."

"I don't have a problem with my father having sex, Booth," Bones told him. "It's just he hasn't shown any inclination, that's all."

"That's because all the women around here either wouldn't give him the time of day or were your age," Booth reminded her. "And you say you don't mind, but what if he and Mrs. Graham really hit it off and want to get married?"

"Aren't you jumping the pistol a bit?" she asked him. "You only are going by what your gut tells you, remember?"

"It's _gun_, Bones, jumping the _gun_," Booth corrected her, rolling his eyes, "and my gut's telling me your dad is lonely and wants some company—some _female_ company."

Bones sighed.

"Whatever you say, Booth," she told him, too tired to put up a good argument at the moment. "What about the boys?"

"Both of 'em are asleep in your office," he told her, as they made their way out of the examination room and headed for Cam's autopsy room.

"Were they all right?" she asked, curiously. "During the trip?"

"They kinda clung to me a bit and didn't say much, but that's understandable," he told her.

"It is?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Booth told her. "They've both just lost a parent. So, Parker is clinging to the only one he has left—me. And Hunter is clinging to someone who could possibly fill his father's place."

"Again, you," Bones said, quietly.

"He'll cling to you, too," Booth told her. "Do you think you'll be able to handle that?"

"Of course I will, Booth," she told him. "I know he needs me now."

"Well, good," Booth said, nodding. "After you…" He gestured for her to go in ahead of him.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked him, concerned. "The body in there _is_ Rebecca's."

"I can handle it, Bones," he assured her. _I think…_

Bones nodded, hesitantly, and then headed inside.

The smell of blood and fluids almost had her turning right around and running for the nearest bathroom, however.

She managed to control her reflexes though…but only barely.

"What did you find?" she asked Cam, shakily.

Cam smirked. "Isn't that usually my question?" she asked, sarcastically.

When she didn't get a response from either of them, she said, "Well, cause of death was most definitely a direct hit to the heart with a 22 slug."

"What range?" Booth asked, staring at the body of his former lover and the mother of his son.

"Close range," Cam told him. "No more than a few feet at best."

"And she would have had to seen it coming…" he trailed off, reaching out hesitantly to caress Rebecca's blonde hair.

Bones laid a hand on his, stopping him. He looked into her caring blue eyes.

"It's best to detach yourself," she told him. "I know its hard, but…"

"Right," he said, more to himself than her. "Detached—I can do that."

"What about with, uh, the other set of remains?" Cam asked her, hesitantly.

"Several ribs were cracked and broken, as were both his femurs and all his phalanges," Bones said, hoping she sounded unemotional. "Indicating that he was tortured before he died."

"Cause of death?" Cam asked, curiously.

She swallowed, trying not to remember the man whose bones she was discussing.

He was in her past, after all.

Booth…_Booth_…was very much in her present.

"A blunt down-thrust of something hard to the back of the cranium, cracking the skull literally in two," she said, feeling tears. "Death would have been instantaneous."

"So, somebody tortures him by killing his girlfriend in front of him," Cam 'hypothesized', "then tortures him physically—finally killing him quickly. Does that tell you anything?"

This, she directed at Booth rather than Bones.

"Yeah, it tells me they were looking for something," Booth said, frowning, "but what?"

Cam shrugged. "Whatever it was, it was worth killing for," she said, glancing at Rebecca's slain body sadly.

"Okay," Booth said, "I'll call what we know so far in to the Bureau…"

"Why?" Bones said, frowning.

"Because I can't officially conduct this investigation, Bones," he reminded her. "The Bureau knows you won't work with anybody else, so I'll still be the go between man—but another Special Agent will have to take point."

"I'm sorry," Bones told him. "I know how much…"

He nodded. "Parker needs me more right now," he said, "and so does Hunter."

"Hunter is my responsibility, Booth," she reminded him.

"He's under my protection," he reminded her. "That makes him my responsibility as well as yours."

She sighed. "Yes, of course it does," she said, rubbing her head. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"I do," he told her, seriously.

Her eyes widened. "You do?" she asked him, hesitantly.

"You've had a rough day," he told her. "It's time to call it quits and head for the house."

"But," she started to protest but he clamped a hand over her mouth.

"No buts, Temperance," he told her. "You're tired, the boys are tired—hell, I'm tired. We're going, end of discussion."

"Besides," Cam said, "until we have more information we can't do much more than we already have except maybe find the murder weapon…"

Bones started to open her mouth.

"…and Zack, I'm sure, can take care of that without you," she finished before she could get out her protest. "Booth's right. Go home."

Bones sighed. "All right," she said, tiredly. "I'll go get Dad and Cynthia."

"No, you go get your stuff ready," Booth told her. "I'll go get them."

Bones glared at him. "Stop bossing me around," she told him, firmly.

"If you'd start listening, I wouldn't have to," he told her, smirking.

"All right," Cam said. "How about you both go get everybody's stuff together and I'll go get Max and Mrs. Graham."

With that, she turned and headed out.

Bones glared at Booth.

Booth glared back at Bones.

"You're so stubborn," they both said at the same time, and then burst out laughing at how ridiculous they both sounded.

"C'mon, Temperance," he told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "let's get our boys and head home."

She almost corrected him, telling him that it was _his_ home they were going to. Not hers.

"Okay."

…

Booth turned the key and unlocked his front door.

"Park," he said to his son, "why don't you show Hunter your room since that's where he'll be sleeping tonight?"

"Okay, Dad," Parker said. "C'mon, Hunt." Hunter nodded and followed him up the stairs.

"Mrs. Graham," Booth said, depositing Bones' bag and the shopping bags he was holding just inside the living room, "the guest room is upstairs—first door on the right."

"Thank you, Seeley, and I do wish you'd call me Cynthia," she told him.

"I'll walk up with you," Max said, smiling. "We can take Hunter his things, too."

He picked up the shopping bags and the two of them headed up the stairs.

"See?" Booth said, smirking at Bones. "Told ya."

Bones rolled her eyes. "Your room hasn't changed places, I take it," she said, grinning.

"Neither has the bathroom," he told her, smirking.

"You're never going to get over that, are you?" she asked him, grinning.

"I was in the tub, Bones," he reminded her. "Guys don't like being walked in on."

"And women do?" she asked him, smirking. "You were the one who stood up needlessly."

Booth grinned. "Maybe I thought you'd enjoy the view," he told her, chuckling. "Um…did you?"

She smirked. "Do you really want me to answer that?" she asked him, coyly.

"Uh, on second thought," he said, scratching his head.

"I didn't think so," she told him. "If you'll excuse me…"

With that, she picked up her bag and headed for his bedroom.

Booth sighed.

_C'mon, Booth,_ he yelled at himself, _be a man already! You've got a pair—use 'em!_

He started to take a step in the direction of his bedroom, when…

"Dad?" Parker called out from the stairs.

"Yeah, Bud?" he asked, going to the landing and looking up.

"Hunter and I are hungry," his son told him, quietly.

Booth nodded. "Dinner's comin' right up, kiddo," he told him. "Okay?"

Parker nodded. "Okay," he said, and then went back to his room.

"Hey, Max!" Booth called up the stairs.

Bones' father appeared with Cynthia right behind him. "Yeah, Booth?"

"I'm gonna make a pizza run," he told him. "Keep an eye on everybody for me, huh?"

Max smiled. "Sure thing, son," he told him. "I like my pizzas loaded, by the way."

"As do I," Cynthia said, smiling. "What about Temperance?"

"Bones prefers vegetarian pizza," Booth said, wrinkling his nose, "so I'll just get her and the boys a large cheese to split. Be back in a minute."

He turned toward the door and was headed out, when…

"Hey, Booth?" Bones called out.

"Yeah, Bones?" he turned back around.

"Don't forget the bread sticks," she told him, smirking.

He smirked back, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, _dear_," he said, sarcastically and then headed out the door.

He sighed as he back out of the drive way.

With a full house, it was _not_ going to be easy to get some alone times with Bones.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to give it his best shot, though.

TBC…


	7. Euphoria

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 7: **_**Euphoria**_

Bones stared down at the word emboldened on the small screen: **Pregnant.**

Today, after her little throwing up session in the bathroom, she had sent Angela to get her a test.

She had, of course, had to tell her why she needed it but had also made her swear not to tell anyone.

Though she knew it was killing her best friend (figuratively speaking, of course) she knew Angela wouldn't say a word to anyone.

She'd gotten her one of those tests that printed the result of the test onto a small screen.

Hers was, of course, positive.

She was pregnant.

With a _baby_…

With _Booth's_ _baby_…

With _her and Booth's baby…_

What was she going to do?

After their rather passionate night three weeks ago, they had both claimed it shouldn't have happened.

That they had crossed a line not meant to be crossed.

Deep down…she had wanted to cross that line.

Now, they had and this was the result.

Somewhere in the deep recesses of her overly large brain, she couldn't help but comprehend the irony.

It had not even been a year since she had asked Booth to father her child…and now he had.

But what would this mean for them?

Booth was a traditionalist.

He couldn't go through what he had went through with Parker and Rebecca again.

He couldn't simply be the every other weekend dad.

It was either all or nothing.

Could she accept that?

Sighing, she put the pregnancy test in the box and threw it away.

When they had wrapped up this case and she had gotten everything settled with Hunter, she'd go see her doctor.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she entered Booth's bedroom.

And came face to face with the man himself.

…

Booth hurried into his bedroom.

Dinner had been eaten.

The boys had been given their baths—Max and Cynthia had taken care of that for him, for which he was eternally grateful—and in a few minutes they would be tucked into bed.

But before that, he was going to get a few minutes alone with Bones.

She was in the bathroom, getting ready for bed.

Good.

That gave him a few moments to prepare.

Going over to his dresser, he opened the top drawer (which contained his underwear, of course*) and pulled out a small velvet box.

Inside that box was a ring—a very special ring.

He didn't just intend on telling Bones he loved her.

If he was going to do this, he was going to do it completely.

Putting the box in his pocket, he shut the drawer and turned around.

The bathroom door opened and Bones stepped out—wearing a royal blue silk nightgown and robe.

He swallowed, unable to keep from staring.

She just looked so damn beautiful.

"Uh, sorry," he stammerd, blushing. C_ould I be any more a horny teenager?_

"For what?" she asked him, puzzled.

"Uh, barging in?" he stated, trying to get parts of his body to stop misbehaving.

She smiled. "It's your bedroom, Booth," she reminded him, shaking his head.

"Right," he said, feeling stupid (not a new phenomenon when in her presence). "Can we talk a minute?"

"Of course," she said, coming and sitting down on the bed. "What about?"

"About three weeks ago," he told her, joining her.

"Oh," she said, quietly. There was a strange look in her eyes. "I thought we already discussed it."

Booth sighed. "No, Temperance," he told her, "we didn't. We 'rationalized' it."

"We did?" she asked, nervously.

"Yes, we did," he told her, firmly, "and I don't want to rationalize it. I want to talk about it."

"Okay," she said, quietly.

"I'm not sorry it happened, Bones," he told her, seriously. "I _wanted_ it to happen."

"Y-You did?" she asked, her blue eyes filling with tears.

He reached out to cup her cheek with his head.

"Yes, I did," he told her, gently. "Want to know why?"

She could only nod.

"Because I love you, Temerance," he told her. "I love you with all my heart and soul."

The tears started falling.

"Booth," she whispered his name.

"Let me finish," he told her, insistently. "I've wanted to tell you for a long time now, but I was scared—and as you know—I don't do scared very well."

She smiled, despite her tears. "I've noticed a time or two."

He smirked.

"Anyway, when you made that speech to Jared and Padme," he told her, "I realized then that you were ready—you could take this next step with me."

"Next step?" she asked him, curiously.

"Yeah," he told her, pulling out the velvet box. "I want you to become my partner in life, as well as on the job."

He opened the box, to reveal a stunningly beautiful silver sapphire ring. It had an old-fashioned setting with a square cut sparkingly sapphire in the center of it.

"It was my mother's," he explained to her. "I want you to have it."

"A-Are you proposing to me?" she asked him, stunned.

"Yeah, Bones, I am," he told her. "I love you, and I never want to live another day without you in every aspect of my life."

"Oh, Booth," she said, closing her eyes against the flood of tears. "I-I love you, too."

He grinned.

"I know," he told her.

"You do?" she asked, surprised. "But I..."

"Even though you never said it, I knew that night," he told her. "I didn't mean to get so caught up in the moment, of course, but it was like euphoria lifting me higher and higher…"

"I don't know what that means," she told him, smiling.

He smiled back. "It made me so happy I had to do something," he told her. "So, I kissed you."

"We did more than kiss," she reminded him, coyly.

He smirked, seductively at her. "I know," he told her. "So…what do you say?"

She glanced at the ring and then back into his warm [hopeful] brown eyes.

"I'm pregnant," she told him, seriously.

Booth's mouth dropped open. "Say what?"

"You look like a drowning fish," she told him, pushing his chin up. "I said I'm pregnant—with your child."

"We're gonna have a baby?" he asked. "I'm gonna be a daddy again?"

"That's generally the idea, I think," she told him, smirking. "Are you okay with that?"

"Are you freakin' kidding me?!" he hopped up, pulling her with him. "That's totally awesome!"

"Now you sound like Sweets," she told him, teasingly.

"Kid's got his moments, got to give him that," he told her, and then kissed her passionately.

"What was that for?" she asked, trying to catch her breath after they parted.

"Uh…euphoria," he said, smirking. "You never answered my question, by the way."

He held up the ring again.

She swallowed, staring at the ring.

She opened her mouth to answer...when there came a knock at the door.

"Dad?" Parker's voice called out from the other side.

"Can Hunter and I come in?"

TBC…

AN: I know...I'm evil. *smirks*

**That underwear comment was for all you ladies out. *wink* **


	8. Stating the Evidence

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 8: **_**Stating the Evidence**_

"_Can Hunter and I come in?"…_

Bones and Booth glanced at each other, and smiled.

"Sure thing, bud," he called out to his son.

The door opened and the two boys entered.

Parker was wearing his red-n-blue Spider-Man pajamas while Hunter was wearing his black-n-gray Batman pajamas.

"What's up, kiddos?" Booth asked them, curiously.

Hunter stepped up to his mother. "I just wanted to tell you something," he told her.

"And what is that?" she asked him, curiously.

"That I love you," he told her, wrapping his arms around her and putting his head on her shoulder.

"I love you too, Dad," Parker said, wrapping his arms around his father's neck.

"I love you more, bud," Booth said, pulling his son close.

Bones swallowed, feeling her heart constrict.

It was illogical that her son should cause such an overwhelming emotional response in her body…

And yet he did.

"I love you too," she whispered to him.

"You mean it?" Hunter asked her, his blue eyes boring into her own.

She smiled at him.

"With all my heart and soul," she said, unintentionally repeating what Booth had just said to her.

"Dad loved me, too," Hunter said. "Right?"

"I believe your father loved you very much," she told him, gently.

"Then why did he go away?" Hunter asked. "That doesn't make sense, Mom."

Bones again felt her heart constrict at hearing the word 'Mom'.

In the past, though he knew she was his birth mother, he had just called her 'Tempe'.

"Your dad didn't want to 'go away' as you put it," she explained. "Some very bad people took him away."

"And you're going to find them, right Dad?" Parker said, looking at his father expectantly.

"Me and Bones are going to do just that, bud," Booth assured him, ruffling his hair.

"That's good," Hunter said. "Parker said you're the best, Mr. Booth."

"Well…I'm not sure about the best," Booth said, smirking charmingly. "But I am good at my job and so is your mom."

"Dr. Bones is the best bone detective there is," Parker said, proudly. "And she's all ours, right Dad?"

Booth blushed at that, as Bones smiled at him.

"You said that?" she asked him, curiously.

He shrugged.

"You know kids," he said, sheepishly. "They say the darnedest things…"

"Uh huh," she said, not believing him for a minute.

Booth blushed even more.

"Mr. Booth?" Hunter said, glancing at his mother's partner. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing, pal," Booth said, pulling him over to him and setting him on his knee. "Shoot?"

He noticed that Bones had pulled Parker closer to her, resting her chin on the top of his head while he leaned against her.

The sight warmed his heart.

_I love you so much, Temperance._

"Will you be my dad now?" Hunter asked him.

"Uh…" Booth said, hesitantly. "What do you mean, bud?"

"Parker's always said he has the best dad in the world," Hunter said, "and my dad was really, super great, but now that he's went away I guess I need another dad now."

"Uh, that's, uh, logical, I guess," Booth said, glancing at Bones. She merely smiled encouragingly at him.

_Thanks a lot, partner…_

"Mom always says to use my head when thinking things through," the eight year said, "and I've been thinking about this a lot--like, sense dinner time!"

"What makes you think I'd be a good dad for you, pal?" Booth asked him, curiously.

"State the evidence," Bones encouraged her son, smiling.

"Oh, right," Hunter said. "Gotta always state the evidence…otherwise its just con…uh…conjugal."

Booth nearly choked on that one, while Bones merely smiled.

"I think you mean 'conjecture'," she corrected him, gently.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Hunter said, seriously. "Well…Mr. Booth is nice, big, strong, smart…and he really _really_ likes you, Mom."

"Oh, he does, does he?" Bone said, eyeing Booth with a smirk. "What makes you think that?"

"Parker said so," Hunter said, nodding at the older boy.

"C'mon, Dad," Parker said, "please say yes. I've always wanted a brother!"

Booth and Bones exchanged knowing looks.

If only he knew what they did…

"I'd be honored to be your new dad, bud," Booth told him, embracing him tightly. "Or at least like a dad to you."

"Great," Parker said, glancing at Bones. "Will you be my new mom, Bones?"

Bones swallowed, glancing at Booth—who was smirking like the Cheshire cat.

She knew then that how she answered his son's question would taken to be the answer to his own.

She smiled down at Parker.

"I'd love to be your new mom," she told him, pulling him into a hug. "Even though nobody could ever replace your real mom."

Bones glanced into Booth's eyes. She saw nothing but pure happiness there.

She was feeling pretty happy at the moment herself.

"All righty then," Booth said, standing up with Hunter in his arms. "Let's get you boys into bed. You've had a long day today, I know."

Bones stood up, clasping Parker's hand.

Together, the four of them headed upstairs to Parker's bedroom.

Luckily, Booth had recently given into his son's pleading for a set of bunk beds—"Cuz, Dad, what if I have a friend spend the weekend with us?"—so they each had their own bed.

Parker climbed onto the top bunk and Bones pulled the covers over him.

"Sweet dreams, Parker," she told him, kissing him on the forehead the same way her mom used to do her.

"Night, pal," Booth said to Hunter, after tucking him.

Then, they switched places and said goodnight to their biological child.

"If you need something in the night or just get scared," Booth told them. "Come get us. Okay?"

"Okay," both boys replied, and then he turned out the lights.

They exited the room, leaving the door open partially.

"So," Booth said to Bones, smiling. "Where were we?"

…

Back in Booth's room, they once again sat down on the bed.

Booth pulled out the ring from his pocket and held it up again. "So, what do you say?"

"I already answered your question and you know it," she told him, smiling.

"Well, you know I've been havin' a lot of trouble with my memory lately, Bones," he told her, smirking. "So, why don't you answer again, just so we're clear?"

"Yes," she told him, shaking her head at his antics. "Yes, Seeley Joseph Booth, I will be your life partner."

"My wife," he corrected her, slipping the ring onto her ring finger.

"Yes, your wife," she told him. "And you'll be my husband."

"And I'll be damn proud to be, too," he told her, cupping her face in his hands and pulling her to him for a kiss.

It quickly heated into something more…

An hour or so later, they lay in bed with her head on his bare chest and his arm draped around her shoulders.

"So…you believe in souls now, huh?" he asked her, curiously.

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"You told Hunter you loved him with all your heart and soul, Temperance," he reminded her.

"It's a figure of speech, Seeley," she reminded him. "It is used to express an overabundance of one or more emotions."

"Uh huh," he told her, grinning. "C'mon, admit it, you do believe people have souls?"

"I believe," she told him, "that humans—more than any other animal on the Earth—have a personal distinction about themselves that other animals, even sentient ones, do not."

"That's called a soul, honey," Booth told her, snorting. "And souls come from God."

"Perhaps," she said, quietly.

"You mean you're not going to correct me?" he asked. "Tell me that its illogical to believe in the Big Man Upstairs?"

"You don't tell me its illogical to believe in pure science," she reminded him. "You respect my beliefs. I would not be a very good wife if I didn't respect yours, as well."

"I guess that's all I can ask for," he told her, smiling. "You won't mind if I take the boys to church, will you?"

"As long as when they are old enough to choose for themselves what they believe in or not," she told him, "that you allow them to do so without harsh judgment or criticism--and that you let me take them lectures."

He smiled.

"It's a deal," he told her. "Hey, what do you know? Our first compromise."

"We've compromised before," she told him.

"Yeah, but I meant as an engaged-soon-to-be-married couple," he told her, grinning. "Speaking of which…how soon should soon-to-be?"

"Are you asking do I want a long engagement or a short one?" she asked, curiously.

"Yeah," he told her, running his fingers through her hair.

"I've never really thought about it," she told him, quietly. "I never believed I'd even get married."

"But now you are," he told her, smiling. "So…?"

She raised her head and looked him. "Can we get married tomorrow?" she asked him, seriously.

His mouth dropped open in surprise. "Huh? Say what?!"

"I don't want to prolong this, Booth," she told him, seriously. "Let's just go to the courthouse tomorrow…"

"But don't you want our friends to be there?" he asked her. "Angela? Hodgins? Cam? My brother? Your brother? Pop…"

"I just want you," she told him, vehemently.

"And I want you, too," he told her, pulling her back down to him.

"So, what do you say?" she asked him, staring intently into his eyes.

"All right," he told her, curiously. "If that what you really want…?"

She nodded. "It is," she told him. "The ceremony isn't important…the part that comes after does."

"And what's that?" he asked her.

"My life with you," she told him, firmly.

"I like the sound of that," he told her, smirking.

She smiled down at him. "So do I…"

They kissed.

And once again, it turned into something more.

Much, much, _much_ more.

TBC…

**Is anybody else a little irritated with this season so far? 'Cuz, I definitely am.


	9. The Unimportant All Important Ceremony

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 9: **_**The Unimportant All Important Ceremony**_

Sunlight poured onto Bones' face, causing her to stir.

Opening her eyes, she smiled as she felt somebody beside her.

But then she frowned because the person she felt was on the wrong side of her.

Glancing down, she found a mop of light brown hair and the eight year old boy it was attached to snuggled up to her.

"We picked up a couple of hitch-hikers last night," Booth's voice whispered softly from her other side.

She turned her head towards him, finding him smiling at her.

She saw that a mop of blonde hair--attached to a nine year old boy--was snuggled against him.

"When?" she asked, remembering to keep her voice down so as not to wake the kids.

Booth shrugged. "Not really sure," he said. "I was sleeping too nicely."

Bones smiled. "I wonder why that is," she said, coyly.

"Me, too," Booth said, leaning over and kissing her quietly.

When they parted, something caught her eye and she glanced at the sparklingly sapphire ring on her left hand.

"Not having second thoughts, are you?" Booth asked her, slightly worried.

"About marrying you or about marrying you today?" she asked him, curiously.

"Both," he said, wide-eyed.

Bones smiled. He looked like such a little boy when he did that.

"No and no," she told him, "but we do need to make some plans, I guess. We'll have to tell Dad and Cynthia—and the boys, of course."

Booth nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I'll call the courthouse."

She nodded, and then glanced at the sleeping boys. "How do we get up?" she asked, curiously.

Booth chuckled. "Watch and learn, Bones," he told her, smirking.

Ever so slightly, he crawled over Parker—pulling the covers around his son as he got out of bed.

Bones smiled. "You've done this before," she said, knowingly.

"Uh huh," Booth said, smirking. "Now, its your turn."

Bones attempted to copy his movements, but the moment she shifted away Hunter snuggled even closer to her.

She looked at Booth, helplessly.

He just smiled. "Stay put," he told her, gently.

"What are—?" she started to ask, as he came around the bed to the other side.

Before she could protest, he had leaned down and put one arm under her legs and one around her shoulders.

He then seemingly effortlessly lifted her out of the bed without disturbing her son.

"Impressive," Bones admitted, kissing him.

"Thank you," Booth said, kissing her back.

"You know you can put me down now," she told him. "You could put your back out again."

"Yeah, but I like kinda like holding you like this," he told her, smirking.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Put me down," she informed him. "I have to pee."

He quickly set her on her own two feet.

She smirked and he knew he'd been played.

"Not fair," he told her, mock scowling.

She shrugged. "I can't help it you have a phobia against bodily fluids," she told him.

"Only certain bodily fluids," he reminded her, chuckling. "If I remember correctly, we did a lot of _exchanging_ bodily fluids last night."

He started nuzzling her neck.

"Booth," she hissed at him, "the boys!"

"They're asleep, Temperance," he told her, "and besides—they're gonna have to learn sometime."

"But not now," she told him, slapping his chest and stepping away from him.

He smirked. "How about we hop in the shower?"

"You mean together?" she asked him, curiously.

"No, with your dad," he told her, rolling his eyes at her. "Of course together!"

She smiled. "I'm not averse to the idea…"

"Good," Booth said, sexily, "'cuz I'm definitely not averse to it."

She grinned. "How about you go check on Dad and Cynthia," she suggested, "while I pee."

She headed into the bathroom and closed the door.

Booth sighed. "I'd much rather get in the shower with you," he muttered, but headed out to the living room, anyway.

Max wasn't on the couch and the smell of something cooking was wafting from the kitchen so that is where he headed.

He found Bones' dad and Cynthia preparing breakfast.

"Good morning," he greeted them.

"Morning, Booth," Max said, smirking. "Sleep well?"

"Very well," Booth told his soon to be father-in-law.

"I'm guessing you and Tempe worked things out?" the former con man asked.

"You could say that," Booth said, smirking. "Something sure smells good in here."

"I've always been an early riser," Cynthia explained. "And I love to cook. I hope you don't mind."

"Hell no," Booth said, chuckling. "I haven't had a good home cooked breakfast in…well, I can't remember how long."

"Then," she said, smiling. "You're in for a treat, I guess."

"Great," Booth said, happily.

"What's great?" Bones asked, coming into the kitchen. "Morning, Dad, Cynthia."

"Morning, Sweetheart," Max said. "Sleep well?"

Bones glanced at Booth. "Very well," she said, honestly.

"I'm glad," Max said, eyeing the two of them.

"Did you tell them?" Bones asked Booth, curiously.

"Uh, no," Booth said. "I thought I'd wait for you."

"Tell us what?" Max asked, curiously.

"We're getting married," Bones told her father, smiling. "Today."

"That's wonderful, Temperance!" Cynthia exclaimed. "Congratulations, both of you!"

"Wait, why today?" Max asked, frowning. "How is that even possible?"

"We're going to the courthouse, Dad," Bones explained. "I don't want a long, drawn out engagement or a fancy wedding."

"She just wants me," Booth said, puffing out his chest a bit.

"Uh huh," Max said, raising an eyebrow at him that had him deflating immediately. "Whatever happened to asking the father's permission?"

"Dad," Bones said, shaking her head.

"I'm only kidding, Sweetheart," he told her, chuckling. "I'm happy for you both—and I know your mother would be, too."

"Thank you," Bones said, kissing his cheek.

"Want to tell them the other thing?" Booth asked, smirking.

"There's something else?" Cynthia asked, curiously.

"Bigger than the two of you tying the knot?" Max asked, eyebrows raised.

"I'm pregnant," Bones told him, "but that's not the reason we're getting married."

"Of course it isn't," Cynthia said, smiling. "A blind man could see you two love each other."

Just then, the kitchen door swung open and the boys walked in.

"See, Parker," Hunter said, smugly. "I told you I smelled Nana's pancakes. She makes the best pancakes in the world!"

"Good morning, ducklings," Cynthia said. "How are feeling this morning?"

"Hungry," both boys answered, causing all four adults to laugh.

"Well then," Cynthia said, "let's not keep those growling tummies of yours waiting any longer."

Everybody sat down at the table and she brought over plates filled with eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

The boys immediately began digging in like starving puppies, while the four adults ate at a much slower pace.

"So, what time are we going to the courthouse?" Max asked Booth and Bones, curiously.

"Uh, not sure yet," Booth said, swallowing a mouthful of pancakes. "Got to call first."

"Right," Max said, sipping his coffee.

"Why are we going to the courthouse?" Hunter asked, curiously.

"Yeah, did they catch the bad guys who hurt Mom and Hunter's dad?" Parker asked.

"No, pal, not yet," Booth told him, sadly, "but we're gonna. I promise."

"We are going to the courthouse today so that Booth and I can get married," Bones told them, bluntly.

"Is that okay with you two?" Booth asked, not wanting to upset them anymore than they already had been.

They _had_ only just lost a parent each yesterday, after all.

A lot of changes were happening at a very fast rate and that could be detrimental to a kid.

"Course its okay, Dad," Parker said, smiling. "Now Bones really will be my new mom."

"And you'll be my new dad," Hunter said, smiling also.

"I guess that settles it, then," Cynthia said, smiling.

"Tell you what, kiddos," Max told his grandson and soon-to-be grandson, "why don't I help you two get dressed while your dad calls the courthouse."

"And I'll help Nana with cleaning up," Bones told them, smiling.

"Okay," the two boys said and hopped up from the table to head upstairs with their new grandfather.

"I'd better go make that call," Booth said, kissing Bones. "Be right back, honey."

Bones stared after him as he exited the kitchen.

"I am very happy for you, Temperance," Cynthia said, clasping her hand gently.

"You're not upset by what Hunter said, about Booth I mean?" Bones asked, curiously.

"Of course not, dear," Cynthia said. "He's a little boy whose just lost his father—it's only natural that he would bond with someone who could fill that missing place in his life."

"Booth and Bryan are not that much alike," Bones said, quietly.

"You're right about that," Cynthia said, sighing. "To be honest, Temperance, I was getting worried about Bryan."

"Why?" Bones asked her, as they cleared the table and carried the dishes to the sink to wash.

"For the last six months or so," she said, "he had begun distancing himself from Hunter. It wasn't noticeable at first, but recently it was getting to where I was watching him more and more. Hunter felt it, too. It's why when Bryan promised to bring him back something from this last trip that he was so excited."

"I see," Bones said. "It seems Bryan's troubles started six months ago or more."

"So it would seem," Cynthia said. "Do you think this could be connected to his death? I would have mentioned it sooner, but I honestly didn't think about it 'til now..."

Bones thought about it. "It's possible it could be," she admitted. "I'll talk to Booth about it."

Cynthia smiled.

"What?" Bones asked, curiously.

"He's about to become your husband, dear," she reminded her. "Don't you think you should at least call him by his first name?"

"Booth and I never use our first names," she explained, shrugging. "At least, not unless we're alone or one of us is upset. It's just our way."

"And it is abundantly clear it works for you," Cynthia said, chuckling.

Just then, Booth reentered the kitchen. He clapped his hands "Chop, chop, ladies," he told them. "We need to hustle--double time!"

"Why's that?" she asked him, curiously.

"Because I got us an appointment at the courthouse at ten o'clock—and it's eight thirty now," he told her.

"Very well, then," Cynthia said, "you go help Max get the boys ready and get yourselves ready. I'll help Temperance."

"Help me with what?" Bones asked, curiously.

"With getting ready for your wedding, dear," Cynthia said, smiling.

"I have just the outfit for you to wear!"

…

At twenty minutes after ten, Booth and Bones stood outside of a judges' office waiting to be called in for their wedding.

She had already informed Cam she would be late arriving at the lab this morning, but to call if something came up.

She was dressed in an off the shoulder pale blue ruffled blouse (seventies-style) and a long pale blue skirt with pale blue pumps—all of which brought out her bright blue eyes.

Her hair was down, pulled back by a silver dolphin hair-clasp given to her by her dad.

"It belonged to your mother," he'd told her, smiling. "She'd want you to wear it today."

Booth wore a dark blue suit and tie—solid color socks, for once—and his "Cocky" belt buckle.

Max was also wearing a suit—borrowed from Booth—and Cynthia wore a white pants' suit.

Parker and Hunter were dressed in polo shirts and blue jeans.

The door opened and a clerk stepped out. "The judge is ready for you," she told them, stepping away from the door to let them in.

Booth and Bones glanced at each other. "Here we go," he said, clasping her hand.

"Yes," she agreed and walked with him through the door.

Max, Cynthia, Hunter, and Parker followed them in.

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, it is a pleasure to see you again," the judge greeted them. "Especially since this has nothing to do with a murder."

"Yes, your honor," Booth said, shaking his hand. "Thank you for seeing us on such short notice."

"Marrying you and your beautiful partner, Seeley," the robed man said, "will be the highlight of my career, I think."

"Putting criminals in jail is a far more worthy ambition," Bones told him, seriously.

"He knows that, honey," Booth told her. "He just meant he's happy for us."

"Oh," she said, understanding. "I see."

The judge chuckled. "Do you have a best man and maid of honor?" he asked, curiously.

"Uh…" Booth said, hesitantly.

"Right here, your honor," Max spoke up, stepping up beside Booth.

Cynthia came and stood by Bones.

"Thanks, Max," Booth whispered to his soon-to-be father in law.

"You're welcome, son," Max said, clasping him on the shoulder.

"Let's begin, shall we?" the judge said. "Do you wish a traditional ceremony or would you prefer to do your own vows?"

Booth raised an eyebrow at Bones—it was her call.

"I think I would like to recite my own vows," She said, "but would also like to end on a traditional note, as well."

"Very well," the judge said. "Do you have rings?"

Bones and Booth looked at each other, realizing they had forgotten something.

"Hear you go, your honor," Max spoke up again, removing the wedding band from his finger and handing it to him.

"Dad," Bones protested at the same time Booth said, "Max, no."

"Don't be silly," Max told them. "You two need it more than I do now."

"That's right," Cynthia said, smiling. She had removed the wedding band from her finger as well.

"Cynthia, I can't—" Bones protested again.

"Yes, dear," Cynthia told her. "You can. Proceed, your honor."

"Very well," the judge said. "We are gathered here today to join Seeley Joseph Booth and Temperance Joy Brennan in the bonds of holy matrimony. If there is anyone present who fill they should not be wed, please speak at this time."

He paused, as was tradition, but of course no one spoke up.

"Seeley, would you like to go first?" he asked Booth.

Booth swallowed. "Uh, sure," he said, nervously. "Bones, I—I mean, Temperance, I—oh, Hell!"

"Dad," Parker said, reprovingly. "You always get on to me for cussin'!" He had crossed his arms over his chest and glared up at his father.

Booth blushed, knowing his son was right. "That's right, bud," he said. "I'm sorry."

"That' okay, Dad, I forgive you," Parker said, smirking. "You can marry Bones now."

All the adults present chuckled at that.

Booth took a deep breath and stared into Bones' deep blue eyes.

He smiled.

"When we first met I thought you were the most overly opinionated, too-smart-for-your-own-good, pain in the butt squint I had ever met," he told her. "Now, you're still all those things, but you're also the most beautiful, kindest, caring, _warmest _woman I have ever met and I am so proud that I'm standing here right now becoming your husband. I love you, Temperance. You'll always be my Bones."

Tears filled Bones' eyes, and she had to wipe them away before she spoke.

"Booth," she said quietly. "Seeley, you are the reason I am not still a lab rat—somebody who is thought of as being cold and uncaring. You showed me the world and what I could be by living as a part of it rather than just studying it from afar. You've opened my eyes to so many things and given me so much that trying to thank you for all of them would take far too long and only seem a mere fraction of what you truly deserve. The one thing you've shown me that is indeed possible in this world is love. I love you, and I can not believe its really me standing here becoming your wife. But I am glad I am. Now, no one can separate us. We'll always be partners, whole and complete."

Booth swallowed, trying not to disgrace himself by crying.

He was just so dang happy at the moment, though…

"Now that Temperance and Seeley have expressed themselves through their vows," the judge said, "we will unit them symbolically with the rings. Seeley, take this ring and place it on Temperance's left hand. Repeat after me…"

Booth took the round band (which, coincidently, was silver and would match the engagement ring he'd given her perfectly) and slipped onto Bones' left hand.

"With this ring, I thee wed," he repeated what the judge had said, "and I promise to love, honor, and cherish you for all the days of our lives."

"Temperance," the judge said, holding out Max's ring, "place this ring on Seeley's finger and repeat after me."

Bones slipped her father's wedding band, wondering if her mother had felt this thrill run through her on her wedding day as she did now, onto Booth's hand—finding that it fit him perfectly.

"With this ring, I thee wed," she spoke, "and promise to love, honor, and cherish you through out all the days of our lives."

The wording was a bit too archaic and formal for her taste, but she supposed it fit.

"Then by the power invested in me," the judge said, smiling brightly, "I now happily pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss you bride, Agent Booth."

"With pleasure, your honor," Booth said, cupping Bones' face and pulling her to him for a deep passionate kiss.

Parker and Hunter wrinkled their noses at such a 'gross' display, but the other adults present clapped their hands together for the happy couple.

Twin sets of ring tones going off brought their kiss to an abrubt end and had both of them reaching for their respected phones.

"Booth/Brennan," they spoke into their phones at the same time.

They both listened a moment a then nodded.

"All right," they again spoke at the same time. "I'll be right there."

They hung up and looked at each other.

"That was Cam," Bones told her newly wed husband. "They need me back at the lab."

"Yeah, they need me at the bureau," Booth told her, sighing. "Duty calls, I guess."

"We do still have a murder to solve," she reminded him, smiling.

They glanced at the judge, who held up a piece of paper. "I just need you both to sign this," he told the, referring to their marriage license. They did so, and so did he.

It was offical.

They were now married.

But they would have to celebrate later.

Duty called.

"What about everybody?" Booth asked Bones. "We came in two separate cars and you all won't fit into yours."

Bones nodded, agreeing. "Take the boys with you," she concluded. "I'll take Dad and Cynthia back with me to the Jeffersonian."

"Uh, I'm gonna be kind busy," he reminded her, eyeing the boys hesitantly.

"Leave them with Sweets," she told him, and then whispered. "He can talk to them and see how they're really coping with all this."

He nodded, smiling. "See, that's why I married you," he told her, smirking.

"Because I have a deep learning curve and can make a decision quickly?" she asked him, smirking.

"Well, that too," he told her, kissing her again. "See you soon."

She nodded. "You know where I'll be," she told him, chuckling.

"I'll look for the largest pile of bones," he told her. "C'mon, guys, we're gonna head to the FBI building for a little while."

"Cool," both boys exclaimed, smiling.

They followed Booth out the door.

"Well, honey," Max said, hugging his daughter, "shall we go solve a murder?"

Bones smiled. "Sure, Dad," she told him. "Let's go."

Together, they headed out of the judge's office.

The judge watched them go, chuckling.

"Somehow," he said to himself, "that was very fitting for those two."

TBC…

**I'm not sure what Bones' middle name is, but her real name _was_ Joy so… Anyway, please, review.**


	10. Back to the Case

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 10: **_**Back to the Case**_

Bones strolled into the Jeffersonian with a confident air.

She _was_ going to solve these murders.

She was going to do if for her son and her new stepson.

She was going to do it for Booth.

Her partner.

Her husband.

"We'll be in the lounge, Sweetheart," Max informed her.

She nodded. "Thanks, Dad," she told him. "Cynthia, I can't thank you enough—"

"It was my pleasure, Temperance," she told her. "Bryan and Sarah eloped to Las Vegas, so I didn't get to be at her wedding. You'll never know how much it meant to me to be at yours."

Bones kissed her cheek.

"I'll give the ring back," she told her, "once Booth and I have a chance to replace it."

"You'll do no such thing, young lady," Cynthia told her, firmly. "That was my gift to you. It's yours."

"That goes for me, too," Max told her, smirking. "If Booth tries to give me that ring back, you tell him I'll put my foot so far up his ass he'll be walking funny for a month."

Bones smiled. "I'll relay the message," she told him, smirking. She could just see Booth's face when she told him _that_!

Max chuckled and then he and Cynthia headed for the lounge to get some coffee.

Bones grabbed her lab coat and then headed for the platform.

Cam, Zack, Jack, and Angela were already there.

"What do we have?" Bones asked, joining them.

"We have ambrasions to the left and right side of the skull, indicating that he was struck several times," Zack answered her, automatically.

"Anything we didn't already know yesterday?" Bones clarified for him.

"We believe the murder weapon to be a lead pipe," Cam told her.

"Based on...?" Bones asked, laying her hands on the table as she usually did.

"Based on the rust particulates that I found in the cracks of the skull," Jack answered her.

"As well as the fact that a lead pipe leaves behind the same kinds of cracks and abrasions found on the skull," Zack answered next.

"Also, I found samples of mold and fungus on his clothing," Jack spoke again. "This tells me he was somewhere damp, probably a basement or something, when he died."

Bones nodded. "Good work," she said, approvingly.

"Uh, Brennan?" Angela spoke up. "Sweetie? Why is there a wedding band and a sapphire the size of Texas on your left hand?"

She had noticed the rings immediately, the moment her friend had joined them.

The others all stared at the new pieces of jewelry she wore.

Bones glanced at her hand and sighed.

"Booth and I got married this morning," she told them, simply. "That's why."

All four of her collogues stared at her in total shock.

"How? When?" Cam asked, taken back.

This was huge news, after all.

"I told you, this morning," Bones told them. "We went to the courthouse."

"You went to the courthouse!" Angela exclaimed, indignantly.

Bones stared at her in puzzlement.

"You were the one who jumped over a broom in Fiji," she reminded her, pointedly.

"That's not the point," Angela glared at her. "I'm your best friend, Brennan! You couldn't have, I don't know, picked up a phone and called me!"

Bones sighed. "I'm sorry, Angela, but there really wasn't time," she told her. "The appointment was at ten and we had to rush just to get there."

"You managed to call Cam and tell her you'd be late," Angela reminded her, glaring.

"I did that on the way," Bones told her. "I'm sorry if you feel affronted, but I did not want a big fancy wedding or a long engagement. Neither did Booth. Besides that, I needed you here more than I did there."

A hurt look crossed Angela's face at that.

"I didn't mean it like that you and you know it," Bones told her, seriously. "Solving this case is more important, that's all."

"I'm still a little confused," Cam said, shaking her head. "Why did you and Booth suddenly decide to get married?"

"I'm pregnant," Bones told her. "With Booth's child."

"Holy—" Jack started to say, but shut up when all three women glared at him.

"Is this going to affect us?" Zach asked, curiously. "Will we have to deal with another agent?"

"No, we won't," Bones told him. "Nothing has changed as far as work is concerned. Booth and I are still partners."

"Yeah, in bed and out," Angela snorted, sighing.

"Ange, please," Bones pleaded with her. "Don't make a big deal out of this, okay?"

Angela thought a moment.

"I'll forgive you one condition," she told her, seriously.

"What's that?" Bones asked, curiously.

"That once this case is over," Angela told her, "but before you get all big with baby Booth in there, you let me throw you a _real_ wedding—and I mean the works!"

Bones thought about it a moment.

"I'll have to discuss it with Booth," she said, "but I suppose that would be all right."

Angela smiled, brightly.

"I'm so happy for you, Honey!" she said, and rushed around the exam table to hug her best friend.

"Yeah, Dr. B," Jack said, smiling. "Congrats."

"My congratulations on yours and Booth's nuptials as well, Dr. Brennan," Zack said. "I'm glad things aren't going to change as far as works goes, though."

"Me too, Zack," Bones assured him. "Me, too."

She glanced at Cam, curiously.

As Booth's former lover, how did she feel about this?

"I've never seen Seeley look at someone the way he does you, Temperance," she told her, "and I know without a shadow of a doubt you were always meant to be together. Congratulations."

She hugged her.

Bones heaved a huge sigh of relief and hugged her back.

"Thank you all for your support, and I know Booth will appreciate it as well," she told them, "but can we please get back to the case now?"

And so, in typical squint fashion, that's exactly what they did.

…

"C'mon, guys, chop, chop," Booth ushered Parker and Hunter into the FBI building. "We need to hustle a bit more."

"I've never been to the FBI building before, Mr. Booth," Hunter told his new stepfather. "This is kinda cool."

"The Jeffersonian is cooler," Parker told him, and then glanced at his dad guiltily. "Sorry, Dad."

Booth smiled.

He knew Parker loved science a lot and knew he secretly wanted to be a scientist when he grew up.

He also knew he was afraid this ambition would make his father think less of him.

"That's okay, son," Booth assured him, smirking. "I think the Jeffersonian is way cooler, too."

"That's cuz Bones works there," Parker said, smirking.

Booth smirked back and tweaked his nose.

"Are you making fun of your ole man?" he asked him, mock-sternness in his voice.

"Would I do that?" Parker asked, innocently.

"Yeah," Booth told him, ruffling his hair. "I think you would."

As they entered the elevator to head upstairs, Hunter glanced up at him. "Mr. Booth?"

Booth glanced down at him. "Yeah, pal?" he asked him, curiously.

"What should I call you?" the boy asked, pushing his glasses back on his nose. "Now that you and Mom are married, I mean?"

Booth bit his lip. "Uh…" he said, hesitantly. "I don't really know, bud."

"Can he call you 'Dad'?" Parker asked. "You're kinda his dad now too, right?"

"It's not that simple, Park," Booth told him, scratching his chin. "How about for now you just call me plain ole 'Booth'."

"But isn't that disrespectful?" Hunter asked. "My dad said it was disrespectful to call an adult by their last name without putting Mr. or Mrs. in front of it."

"That's true, bud," Booth told him, "but I'll know you're not being disrespectful. Okay?"

"Okay," Hunter said, "Booth."

Booth grinned, as the elevator dinged and they got off.

Heading to Sweets' office, he barged in as he usually did.

Sweets was sitting at his desk as they entered, a pair of ear phones in his ears.

He had his eyes closed and was tapping his desk with a pair of pencils.

Obviously, he wasn't listening to his case notes.

Booth snorted.

Marching across the room, he reached down and plucked the ear phones out of his ears.

Sweets frowned and opened his eyes. "Uh, Agent Booth!" he exclaimed, jumping up quickly.

"Kids who goof off during the day usually get grounded, Sweets," Booth told him, causing the two boys to giggle.

Sweets blushed. "I was, uh, that is, I..um," he stammered. "Did we have an appointment?"

"No," Booth growled, "and obviously you don't have any patients so I need you to watch the boys for a little while."

"Boys?" Sweets asked, confused. He glanced down to find Parker and Hunter grinning at him. "Uh, hi, guys."

"Sweets got in trouble, Sweets got in trouble," Parker chanted, smirking at the young psychologist.

Booth bopped him on the back of the head, gently. "That's enough, Parker," he told his son. "It's not funny when you get in trouble, is it?"

"No," Parker answered, honestly. "Sorry, Lance—uh, I mean, Dr. Sweets."

Sweets smiled. "Its okay, Park," he told him, "and it's okay to call me Lance."

"This is Hunter, Lance," Parker told him, pointing to his new stepbrother. "He's Bones' son."

"It's nice to meet you, Hunter," Sweets said, coming around his desk to shake the other boy's hand.

"Mom doesn't like psychology," Hunter told him, bluntly. "She thinks it's a soft science."

"Yes," Sweets said, "Dr. Brennan can be a bit—"

"Watch it, Kid," Booth warned him, sternly. "That's my partner you're talking about."

"—blunt sometimes," Sweets finished, notably warned. "She and I may differ on our opinions sometimes, but we are still very good friends."

Booth snorted at that, thinking he was still a few years shy of 'buddy' status.

"Uh huh," he said. "So, will you watch 'em or not?"

"I'd be happy to spend some time with them, Agent Booth," Sweets told him.

"Excellent," Booth said, patting his shoulder with his left hand.

He then leaned in and whispered, "And maybe you can find out how their really doin', ya know?"

Sweets nodded, though his eyes were transfixed on the ring on Booth's left hand.

"Why are you wearing a wedding band, Agent Booth?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"Oh, this?" Booth asked, holding up the ring. "That's easy. Bones and I got married this morning. That's all. I'll be in my office if you need me. Later!"

"But, wait, why—" Booth was already out the door before he could finish.

Sweets glanced at the boys.

"It's true, Lance," Parker said, proudly. "Bones is my new mom!"

"And Booth is my new dad," Hunter said, "and he's going to catch the bad guys who hurt Parker's mom and my real dad."

"Interesting," Sweets said, quietly. "Very interesting."

He stared after the special agent he had come to respect [and sometimes fear] a great deal.

"Very interesting, indeed."

TBC…


	11. Two Plus Two Equals Five

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 11: **_**Two Plus Two Equals…Five**_

"I have ta tell ya, Cheri," Caroline Jullian told Booth, "this one stinks—and it stinks big."

"Tell me something I don't already know," Booth told her, sighing. "Somebody tortured and killed Bryan Hunter—but why?"

"Don't forget they killed the mother of your son too, Cher," Caroline reminded him, pointedly.

Booth sighed. "I know," he said, glancing at his left hand absently.

He missed her.

Temperance…Bones.

His partner.

His wife.

It seemed ridiculous, but he couldn't help it.

Most married couples spend the day together after their wedding, but not them…

Oh no, heavy forbid the case not get solved.

Not that it wasn't important—because catching the murdering bastards who deprived two little boys of a mother and a father most _definitely_ needed to be brought to justice.

But still…

It was their first day as husband and wife, after all.

Maybe he should call her…

"We've gone through Bryan Hunter's records for the last six months," Caroline told him, "and there was something definitely going on there."

"What?" Booth asked, frowning. "Drugs? The mob?"

"Can't say for sure, Cher," Caroline told her. "Most of what your boys pulled up were untraceable—which makes me very suspicious."

Booth snorted. "Yeah, no kidding," he said, "I—"

"Uh, excuse me," Sweets head popped into his office. "Sorry to interrupt…"

"Where are the kids, Sweets?" Booth growled at him. "You're supposed to be watching them!"

"I am—I mean, they're waiting for me," Sweets said. "I just wanted to let you know I'm taking them to the diner."

"Why?" Booth asked, suspiciously.

"Uh…their hungry," Sweets answered, a definite 'duh' look on his face, "and so am I. Besides, it's a more relaxed atmosphere there. Talking with me will come naturally there."

"Oh, right, sure," Booth said, reaching for his wallet. "Here ya go…"

He pulled out a couple of tens and handed them to him.

That should cover the boys' lunch, he figured.

Sweets held up his hand to him and refused to take the money.

"No, I got it covered," he told him, smiling.

"Sweets," Booth growled, narrowing his eyes.

Sometimes, he really felt like treating the young man like the Kid he looked like and walloping him one good time.

Of course, Sweets would probably go on a long tirade how corporal punishment was detrimental to an individual's psyche or some other mumbo jumbo Booth knew to be untrue.

He supposed it just wasn't the worth the energy it would take—not that it'd be very hard.

He smirked at the image of a squirming Sweets turned across his knee getting his behind paddled...

"Think of it as a wedding present," the younger man said, smirking—oblivious to the possible danger his backside was in— "Though, I do intend on getting you and Dr. Brennan—or is it Booth now?—a genuine gift to show my congratulations."

Booth sighed. "Just go already, Sweets," he told him. "You're giving me a headache."

Sweets chuckled and then turned to exit the office.

"Uh, Seeley?" Caroline said, raising an eyebrow. "Something you want to share with me, Cher?"

"Huh?" Booth asked her, frowning.

Caroline narrowed her eyes and pointed to the ring on his left hand.

She hadn't noticed it until just now.

"Oh, that," Booth said, swallowing nervously. "Bones and I…well…we kinda…you know…got married this morning?"

Caroline crowed with laughter.

"It's a bout damn time!" she exclaimed. "But I certainly would have liked an invitation to the weddin'."

"It was just a quick ceremony at the courthouse," he told her. "Bones wanted it that way."

"Uh huh," Caroline said. "So?"

Booth frowned again. "So, what?"

"What brought all this on, Cheri?" she asked, exasperated. "I mean, I knew from that kiss I made you two do that you were meant to be—but what finally put a cattle prod in your collective asses?"

Booth smiled at that.

"Well, we sorta slept together a few weeks back," he admitted to her. "That kinda got the ball rolling, I guess."

Caroline smirked.

"It usually does, Cheri," she said, chuckling. "So, this Bryan Hunter was her lover, right?"

"And the father of her son," Booth told her. "Bones gave him full custody because she didn't feel she could be a good mother at the time."

"Does she think can be one now?" Caroline asked, curiously.

"I know she can," Booth said, smiling. "Besides, she has me to help out now."

"That's wonderful, Cher," she said, "so long as it doesn't start affecting our cases."

"It won't," Booth assured her. "Bones is very clear on that we remain professional."

"Uh huh," Caroline said, "which is why you look so enthused at the moment, right?"

Booth blushed. He had hoped she wouldn't see him moping.

"I guess this isn't exactly how I pictured spending my first day as a married couple, that's all," he told her, reluctantly.

"For you two, Seeley," she told him, gently. "It fits. Though, if I were you, I'd get my butt over to the Jeffersonian. Remember, you can't officially work on this case. By rights, neither should she."

"Don't take her off the case, Caroline," he pleaded with her, standing up. "One of us should at least feel useful and the lab stuff won't be harmed by her connection to Bryan—a connection, I might add, that ended eight years ago."

"They shared a son, the same as you and Rebecca," she reminded him. "That connection never went away, trust me."

"I know, but…it's Bones, Caroline," he reminded her. "You know her."

"Yeah, I do," Caroline told him, smirking. "That is why she's still on the case. Your wife's the best, Seeley, no doubt about it."

"Yeah, she is," Booth said, smirking with unabashed love and pride for his new spouse.

Caroline snorted.

"You're worse than a love-sick sailor," she told him, shaking her head. "Get your ass out of here, Cher, and go to your karate-chopping genius scientist already."

Booth nodded. "Yes, Ma'am," he answered, respectfully. He kissed her cheek as he made for the door.

"And Seeley?" she called after him.

"Yeah?" He turned back around.

"Give the good doctor my congratulations, as well," she told him, smirking.

"Will do, Caroline," he told her. "Will do."

With that, he was out the door and headed for the exit.

He would call Sweets from the car and make sure he brought the boys back to the Jeffersonian, so that was one less thing for him to worry about.

"You're in a good mood, Agent Booth," someone commented as he passed them in the hall way.

"You better believe," Booth called over his shoulder. "I'm going to go see my wife!"

…

Bones sat in her office, getting some of the paperwork involved in lab work and crime-solving done.

She felt eyes on her, and looked up—finding her husband leaning against the door frame.

"When did you get here?" she asked him, puzzled.

"About two minutes ago," he told her, smirking. "I couldn't help watching you—you looked so cute with your tongue sticking out of the side of your mouth like that."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Now, now, Temperance," he said, wagging a finger at her. "I'd hate to have to give you a time out for being naughty."

Bones snorted, smiling. "Did you need something?"

"Can't a guy visit his wife for no reason?" he asked her, grinning.

Bones swallowed.

Even though she knew that was what she now was to him, just as he was her husband, hearing it out loud would certainly take some adjusting.

"Anything new on your end?" she asked, changing the subject back to the case.

He grinned at her predictable evasion tactic.

"Only that two plus two equals five," he told her.

She frowned, as he knew she would.

"I don't know what that means," she told him, "and two plus two equals four."

"Yes, Dear," he told her, rolling his eyes. "What I meant was this case get more smellier by the moment. Whatever was going on with your ex-boyfriend really stuck."

"Why is that?" she asked him, curiously.

"He had several different bank accounts with different amounts of money in them," he explained to her.

"That doesn't make sense," she said, frowning.

"Nothing about this case makes sense, Sweetheart," he told her, plopping down on the couch.

"Are you going to do that from now on?" she asked, curiously.

"Do what?" he asked her, puzzled.

"Call me various forms of terms of affections," she told him.

He wrinkled his nose. "Was that even English?" he asked her, smirking.

"Seeley Joseph Booth, don't you dare make fun of me!" she told him, sternly.

Booth couldn't help but chuckle.

"And you think you won't be a good mom," he told her, patting the couch. "Come sit by me."

Sighing, she got up from her desk and joined him, where he promptly turned her toward him and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.

"I missed you," he whispered to her.

She smiled, despite saying, "That's illogical. We haven't been apart that long."

"It's our first day as husband and wife, Bones," he reminded her. "We should be on a beach somewhere having wild kinky sex in the sand—not here in the lab, like always."

"We have a case, Booth," she reminded him. "And you never did answer my question."

He grinned. "Yes," he told her. "I am going to happily refer to you by—as you put it—various terms of affection."

"Why?" she asked him. "And do you expect me to do the same?"

"Because I love you, that's why," he told her, smiling. "And no—I don't. You can call me a miserable bastard for all I care."

"That is hardly a term of affection," she reminded him, smirking.

"Do you mind so much?" he asked her, curiously. "That I call you things like 'Sweetheart' or 'Honey' or 'Dear'?"

"I thought 'Bones' was your nickname for me," she reminded him.

"It is, and I'll still call you that," he told her. "It's just—I associate 'Bones' as my partner, not my wife. Know what I mean?"

"I believe so," she told him, "though I am still the same person I always was."

"With one minor difference," he told her, grinning.

"What?" she asked him, curiously.

"You're now Mrs. Seeley Booth," he told her. "My wife." He kissed her again.

"Do you expect me to change my name?" she asked, once they broke apart. "We didn't really have time to discuss it…"

"Only if you want to," he told her, hesitantly. "I'd love for you to have my name, but it's your call…"

"I don't think I want to," she admitted, and then added quickly, "but it isn't because I regret anything or don't like your name. It's just…"

"Dr. Brennan is who you are," he told her, grinning. "I get that."

"Yes, that's right," she told him. "I may have started life out as Joy Keenan, but…"

"But it's Dr. Temperance Brennan who forged herself from a fifteen year old foster child to the wonderful woman I married this morning," he told her, understanding.

She smiled. "Our child will bare your name, though," she told him, assuredly. "Just as Parker does."

"I'm glad," he told her, resting his hand on her abdomen. "Hello in there, this is your daddy speaking…"

"Booth, the fetus isn't even an inch long yet," she reminded him, chuckling. "And that tickles!"

"Oh it does, does it?" he said, grinning mischievously.

"Seeley Joseph Booth, don't you dare!" she squealed as he began tickling her mercilessly "This…is…hardly…professional…behavior!"

"But it sure is a hell of a lot of fun," he told her, letting her up. "I love you."

She smiled at him, trying to look mad but failing miserably.

"I love you, too," she said, quietly. "Where are the boys?"

"Sweets took them to the diner for lunch," he told her. "They should be getting back—"

"Dad! Mom!" two excited voices exclaimed at he same time and their sons came rushing into the office.

Sweets followed behind them at a more leisurely pace—more hesitant would be a better term.

Booth and Bones both frowned as they noticed all three were covered in what appeared to be food and dirt.

"We had a food fight," Hunter told them. "It was awesome!"

His glasses were smeared with what appeared to be macaroni and cheese.

"Me and Hunter won," Parker said, smiling from ear to ear with whipped cream in his blonde curls. "Lance lost, big time!"

The two adults turned seemingly cool glares upon the young Dr. Sweets--who had what appeared to be apple pie dribbling down the side of his face.

"Hey, it's not my fault," he held up his hands in his defense. "They started it!"

"We did not!" the two boys argued with him.

"Oh, you so did," Sweets told them, playfully shoving them.

The boys shoved back, ganging up on him as they had no doubt done during the food fight.

Booth let a shrill whistle, again earning everybody's attention.

"I don't care who started it," he told them, crossing his arms. "Please tell me there were no damage done to the diner."

"Of course not, Booth," Sweets said, rolling his eyes at him. "Besides, we got our lunches to go and ate in the park."

"Sweets, I swear sometimes I really want to—" Booth growled, but Bones started laughing.

Booth glared at his wife.

"Bones, I'm trying to be the strict no-nonsense dad here," he told her, but she just kept laughing.

Soon, the boys—all three of them—joined her and all four laughed harder when his scowl deepened.

Finally, he sighed.

"At least you guys had fun," he reasoned, sourly, "but we're definitely heading home to clean you all up."

"Right," Sweets said, "well, I should probably be going now..."

"Oh no, you don't," Booth grabbed him by the collar, "I'm not done with you, yet."

"You're not?" Sweets asked, worriedly.

"Nope," Booth said, frowning. "You're on laundry detail, just as soon as we get to my house."

"I am?" Sweets asked, wrinkling his nose. He hated doing laundry--which is why most of his clothes remained dirty until he had no choice but to either go naked or clean them.

"Yes, you are," Booth told him, firmly. "You helped make them dirty, so now you're gonna have help clean 'em up."

"I guess that's fair," the younger man said, smiling. "It was still a blast, though."

Booth snorted, turning to Bones. "Guess I gotta go again, Honey," he told her, grinning.

"I'll be home later," she reminded him, kissing him. "Go take care of our boys."

He nodded, glancing at the aforementioned youngsters. "Yeah, all three of them," he said, rolling his eyes at Sweets.

"That's right," she whispered. "He's our baby duck, remember."

"Well, he's one duck that might just get his goose cooked before the day is out at this rate," Booth told her.

She smiled. "Be nice," she told him. "This can be your chance to really bond with Hunter. And for him to get to know you better."

He nodded. "You'll bring dinner home or should I cook?"

"Dad, Cynthia, and I will pick something up," she told him. "Hopefully, we'll have more to go on soon."

She was, of course, referring to the case.

"Yeah, 'cuz I really don't like two plus two equal five, Sweetheart," he told her, wrinkling his nose.

"Neither do I," she told him, kissing him again. "Now, go."

He nodded. "All right, boys, let's burn some rubber," he told them, steering them towards the exit.

"You know, Booth," Sweets protested, "I am capable of walking without your assistance."

He was referring to the fact that Booth had latched onto his arm and didn't appear to be going to let go anytime soon.

"Be glad you're not on a leash," Booth told him, and continued to lead him out the door. "All three of you."

Bones watched them go, sighing.

"I missed you, too," she whispered after him, aching to go with him but knowing work came first.

TBC…


	12. The Big Three

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 12: **_**The Big Three**_

When Booth had said he would be doing the laundry, Lance Sweets had assumed he meant the boys' dirty clothes—not the entire weeks' worth of dirty clothes for the Booth household.

Stripped down to just his boxer shorts, as his own clothes had to go into the wash along with the boys, he grumbled sourly about the unfairness of being treated like a kid while he loaded socks and underwear into Booth's washing machine.

Booth stood in the door way, smirking.

The younger man looked all of fifteen at the moment—especially with the sulking look on his face.

He caught snippets of his grumbling, such as "Over-bearing macho testosterone driven bully" and "sucks" and "totally not fair".

When Sweets bent over to pick up some more clothes to put into the washer, Booth couldn't resist.

Crossing the room, he reared back and delivered one solid smack on the younger man's backside—eliciting a startled yelp from him.

Sweets glared at him, grabbing his rear end.

"Not funny, Agent Booth," he growled, sourly. "You have no right to man handle me like that."

Booth raised an eyebrow at his surly tone.

"First of all, _Dr. Sweets_," he told him, smirking, "you have to be a man to be manhandled. Secondly, I heard some of things you were just saying about me and they were far from flattering. I was simply showing you my displeasure."

Sweets sighed.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, almost whining. "What did I do that was so wrong?"

Booth chuckled, shaking his head.

"Sweets, lightened up, will ya?" he said, sarcastically. "You'd think I was sending you to the electric chair or something. You're just doing a bit of laundry."

"Yeah," Sweets said, "as penance for a crime I in no way committed."

"Oh, really?" Booth asked, knowingly. "Who was it who threw the first piece of macaroni?"

Sweets blushed guiltily at that. "I had a good reason, I swear," he told him.

"Okay, what was it?" Booth wanted to know.

"The boys indeed began to talk to me once were in a more carefree environment," Sweets told him. "They are still, naturally, grieving for the losses they have suffered…"

"We, Bones and I, figured as much," Booth told him. "What else?"

"In terms of the amount of grief they are feeling," Sweets explained, "it is deeper in Parker than Hunter."

"Deeper how?" Booth asked, curiously.

"Well, his mother was the one he spent the most time with," the younger man told him. "Natrually, he feels her loss most strongly."

"Well, yeah obviously, but Hunter was with his dad all the time, too," he reminded him.

"Yes, but he had begun to withdrawal nearly a year ago and much of their bond was lost during that time," Sweets told him. "Mostly, Hunter feels more guilt than grief."

"Guilt?" he asked, wondering what in the name of all that was good and decent did Bones' little boy have to fill guilty about.

"Hunter believes it was something he did that caused his father to start distancing himself," Sweets told him, "and now that he is gone there is no way for him to 'fix' that something."

"Damn," Booth swore. "So, what do I—uh, we—do?"

Sweets grinned at the natural slip.

Booth always had to be the protector and that was very true with his family—which now included Dr. Brennan and her son.

"Assure him that it was nothing he did that caused his father's odd behavior and I would advise you to treat him no differently than you do Parker," Sweets concluded. "And that means in every way."

Booth raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"What was your first reaction when you saw the boys and how messy they were?" Sweets asked, curiously. "Annoyance, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Booth answered, truthfully. "Parker knows better than to play with his food like that."

"Precisely my point," Sweets said. "You felt like scolding him, didn't you?"

"I felt like throttling you, actually," Booth told him, smirking, "but yeah—I guess so."

"Would you have scolded Hunter as well?" Sweets wanted to know.

"Well…" Booth frowned. "I don't know. I mean, he's Bones' kid."

"Do you think Dr. Brennan would have scolded him for his actions?" Sweets asked next.

"No," Booth knew. "She probably wouldn't think of it."

"That's exactly what I mean," Sweets told him. "In matters of discipline, it will be best that you take the lead—for both boys."

"I don't want to overstep my bounds, Sweets," Booth said, hesitantly. "Bones and I may be married now…"

"Yet Dr. Brennan has no experience as a parent, Booth," Sweets told him. "While she understands the needs for boundaries, rules, and consequences actually enforcing them would be like asking you to tell how a skeleton died—you understand that it did, but not how."

"I think, I see," Booth said, "but I'll definitely have to talk to Bones about this. I have no clue what her views on discipline are, actually."

"What are your views, exactly?" Sweets wanted to know. "You obviously believe in spanking—unless that swat to my ass was some kind of sexual thing…"

"A. Don't even go there," Booth told him, "and B. yes, I do believe in spanking—when it's necessary. I only use it when talking, grounding, and loss of privileges don't work. Or Parker breaks one of the Big Three."

"Big Three?" Sweets asked, curiously.

"Yeah: Respect, Honesty, Obediance," Booth said. "He knows that I take those very seriously. He always knows what happens if he breaks one of them."

"I see," Sweets said, quietly. "Interesting."

"No," Booth stated, firmly. "Not interesting. Pops believed in the Big Three and so do I. Simple as that."

Sweets grinned. It was clear that Booth idolized his grandfather very much—which was understandable.

"And you never did explain what all this has to do with you instigating the food fight," Booth reminded him, sternly.

Sweets blushed. Why did that look get to him so much?

He was an adult, but Booth made him feel all of twelve sometimes…

Treated him like he was, too.

"The boys were becoming melancholy," Sweets told him. "I needed to do something to cheer them up. It was the first thing I could think of."

For some reason, that admission made him blush.

"And that," Booth told him, reprovingly, "is why you're on laundry detail. Now, get back to it. Chop, chop."

Sweets groaned loudly, but bent down to retrieve more laundry.

"Slave driver," he muttered, sourly.

He felt a sharp smack across his backside again.

He glared at Booth. Again.

"Respect, remember?" Booth told him, grinning. "The Big Three go for you too, Lance."

Sweets blinked at him.

He didn't know why, but that made him feel…

Pleased.

…

Bones finished her work for the day and decided it was time to go home.

She blinked.

When had she begun to think of Booth's house as 'home'.

True, they were married now…

Sighing, she found Cynthia and her father waiting on her.

"You really shouldn't work so long, Tempe," Max told her. "You look tired, honey."

"I'll be fine, Dad," Bones told him. "I just need a nice hot bath."

"Good," Cynthia said, as they made their way out to the car. "You can get that handsome husband to wash your back for you."

Bones grinned at that. "That's not a bad idea," she told her. "I'll keep it under consideration."

Max and Cynthia grinned at that, and then they got into the car and headed for Booth's house.

As they entered, they found him on the couch.

Parker and Hunters were sprawled out on the floor, sound asleep.

To her surprise, she found Sweets curled up on the other end of the sofa—also sound asleep.

"Hi, Honey," Booth greeted her, standing up and turning the television off. "I was just about to put them to bed."

"Sweets, too?" she asked him, coming over and kissing him.

Booth glanced at the younger man and snorted.

"Didn't have the heart to tell the Kid to vamoose," he said. "Besides, I drove him over here."

"It's fine, Booth," Bones said. "I'll help you."

"No, Tempe," Max interjected. "I'll help put the boys to bed. You go start running that bath."

"Your dad's right, Honey," Booth told her, kissing her. "Go soak. I'll join you in a bit."

"I'll just go make some tea," Cynthia said. "I usually drink a cup before going to bed. Max, care to join me?"

"Sure, just let me help put the boys to bed," Max told her, glancing at his new son-in-law. "C'mon, Son." He bent down to pick up Hunter.

Booth nodded and picked up Parker. Together, they carried them upstairs.

Bones glanced at the sleeping young man on the sofa and then grabbed a throw and pulled it over him.

Almost without thinking, she kissed the top of his head.

He heard her mumble something like, 'Thanks, Mom' but couldn't be completely sure.

For some reason, that made her grin.

Sweets may have been an adult and a brilliant psychiatrist, but in a lot of ways he was still a lost little boy searching for a home.

As Gordon-Gordon had explained, he had imprinted on them like a baby duck.

She supposed, despite there was no possible way she could be, he saw her as a mother-like figure.

They didn't bother her—it explained why she wanted to box his ears whenever he annoyed her with his psycho babble as her newlywed husband called it.

Heading upstairs, she went immediately into Booth's bathroom—though she supposed it was now their bathroom, rather—and began running water for a bubble bath.

Once the water was ready, she stripped and got in.

Booth joined her not too long after that.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, smirking.

She smiled. "Be my guest," she said.

"You got it, Baby," he told her, huskily, and started stripping out of his clothes.

Within moments, he was in the tub with her—positioned behind her—her back resting on his broad well-muscled chest.

"Ah," he sighed. "This feels good."

"Yes, very much so," she mumbled, the heat of the water and his presence making her feel very content.

"Can we talk?" Booth asked her, curiously.

"What have we been doing so far?" she asked him, smirking.

He tweaked her nose, playfully.

"Cute, Bones," he told her, "but I mean about something serious."

"Of course," she told him. "What's on your mind?"

"What's your stance on discipline?" he asked her.

"In what context?" she asked, puzzled.

"In child rearing, Bones," he told her.

"Why do you want to know?" Bones asked him, curiously.

"It's something Sweets was saying," Booth explained. "He says I should treat Hunter the same as I do Parker—and that includes when it comes to discipline."

"So, you wanted my view on this," she said, quietly.

"I don't want to overstep my bounds, Temperance," he told her, gently. "He _is_ your son."

"Maybe so, but I have never really been apart of his life," she told him. "You have more experience as a parent than I do. I believe Sweets is probably right. You should handle matters of discipline for now."

"Really?" he asked her, hesitantly.

"Not only are you more experienced in parenting than me," she told him, gently, "but Hunter is used to a man's way more than a woman's. He'll respond to you more than me, I think—at least in that aspect. Now, what is _your_ view of discipline?"

"Well, normal stuff really," he told her. "Parker knows the rules and what happens when he breaks them. He usually gets grounded for a period of time or gets a privilege revoked for a while. However, if its something really big, well…I spank him."

"That surprises me," she said, quietly.

"Why?" Booth said. "You're not about to tell me its detrimental to a child's delicate psyche, are you?"

"Of course not," Bones told him, snorting. "You know how much I hate psychology. Anthropologically speaking, spanking is the oldest form of discipline there is and is a very effective means of curbing certain behaviors when used correctly. It surprises me you believe in it, given your history…"

"Because my dad was abusive, you mean," he told her.

She nodded.

"Even with that, Pops knew he couldn't be a soft touch with me and Jared otherwise we'd be the worst brats in the world," he explained. "He didn't spank us unless we did something really awful, though…"

"Such as…?" she asked, curiously.

"Well, for example, I kinda ran his truck into telephone pole when I was nine," Booth told her, grinning.

"Why?" she asked him.

"It seemed like the thing to do at the time," he told her, chuckling. "Believe me, after Pops got done tanning my behind later I definitely think that that anymore."

"So, basically, you put yourself in danger," she concluded.

"Right, and Parker knows not to do that or be disrespectful or lie to me," Booth told her. "Those are the Big Three: Respect, Honesty, and Obediance. If he breaks any of those, he knows exactly what he gets."

"I see," Bones said, understanding. "So, per Sweets' advice, you're actually asking me if I will allow you to use these same discipline tactics with Hunter. Right?"

"Right," Booth told him.

"I have no problem with spanking, Booth," she told him, "and if Hunter does something to warrant it I expect you to treat him accordingly. Sweets is definitely right that we shouldn't show a difference in the boys. Parker may be your son and Hunter may be my son, but with our marriage and the fact that we will now be raising them together that essentially makes them both our sons."

"Okay," Booth said, smiling. "That's settled, then."

"Good, was there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?" she asked him.

Booth grinned. "As a matter of fact, there is," he told her.

"What?" she asked him, puzzled.

"Can't you tell, Temperance?" he asked, seductively.

She frowned, but then understood what he meant—or rather she _felt_ what he meant as it was poking her in the back.

She smirked.

"I see what you mean," she said, huskily.

Booth reached up and tilted her head back so that she was staring at him.

"Good," he told her, "I'm glad we understand each other."

They kissed.

TBC…


	13. Bored Boys Equals Big Trouble

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 13: **_**Bored Boys Spells Big Trouble**_

Parker and Hunter were bored.

They had been left at the lab while Booth went to discuss something with Director Cullen and Bones was again working on the case.

They had done all the work that Max and Cynthia had picked up from their teacher that morning—Bones' idea, "So that you both do not far behind in your studies…"—and played the board games that they'd brought from Parker's room.

"I'm bored," Parker stated, falling back onto the sofa in Bones' office.

"Me, too," Hunter said, sighing. "What should we do now?"

"I wish we could go look around the museum," Parker told him, "but Dad said we're not to go anywhere."

Hunter nodded. "We could always say we're going to the bathroom," he suggested. "Mom wouldn't ever know the difference."

"I don't know," Parker said, uneasily. "Dad _really_ doesn't like it when I lie."

"You won't be," Hunter said, grinning. "I will. C'mon, Park, we can pretend we're spies on a secret mission. It'll be cool."

Parker, though usually very responsible for his age, did have an adventurous streak in him and the idea did sound appealing.

"What if Dad comes back?" he asked, worriedly.

"We won't stay gone that long," Hunter said. "We'll just look around a little bit and then come back."

Parker bit his lip.

"What are you going to tell Bones?" he asked, curiously.

"I'll tell her we're going to get a Coke," Hunter said, grinning. "And we will—on our way back."

Parker sighed, but then smiled. "Let's do it."

Hunter jumped up. "Great," he said, "I'll go tell Mom!"

He went racing toward the platform where Bones was once again going over evidence with her team.

"Hey, Mom?" he called up, knowing he wasn't allowed on there.

Bones eyes focused on him immediately. "What is it, Hunter?" she asked, curiously.

"Parker and I want to go get something to drink from the snack bar," he told her with an absolute straight face. "Okay?"

Bones thought a moment. "All right," she said, "but come right back."

Hunter smiled.

"We will," he said, and then dashed back to his new step-brother. "C'mon."

Parker grinned and they headed out.

"They are so cute," Angela said, smirking.

"Yes, they are," Bones said, and then returned to her work.

Fifteen minutes later, Booth arrived.

Swiping his card, he mounted the steps to the platform.

"Hey, Honey," he greeted Bones. "Miss me?"

Bones snorted. "No," she answered, causing him to deflate some.

"Not even a little bit?" he asked, a puppy dog expression on her face.

"Oh, please, Bren," Angela said, smirking, "tell him you did so he'll get that sappy look off that handsome face of his."

Bones grinned. "Very well," she said, smiling. "I may have…noticed…your absence at on point or another."

Booth smirked. "I missed you, too," he told her, kissing her cheek.

"What, no lip lock?" Angela asked, disappointed.

"Mrs. Booth gets upset when I kiss Dr. Brennan in the lab," Booth told her, chuckling. "Says its unprofessional, but I thinks she a bit jealous myself."

Bones snorted. "You are incorrigible," she told him, smiling. "Anything new?"

"We searched Bryan's entire house and found he had an apartment he used when he went to 'seminars'," her husband told her. "Turns out the good professor had gotten himself mixed up with a smuggling operation."

Bones looked shell-shocked. "I can't believe it," she said, quietly.

"Believe it, Sweetheart," Booth told her, seriously. "He was in deep, too."

"I'd say about six feet under," Angela said, glancing at the bones lying on the table.

Booth nodded, glancing toward her office. "Uh, Honey, where are the boys?"

Bones blinked.

"They went to get a drink at the snack bar," she said, "but come to think of it—that _was_ fifteen minutes ago."

"Yo, Max!" Booth let out a whistle, knowing his father-in-law would hear him.

Max appeared on the second floor. "Yeah, Booth?" he asked.

"The boys still at the snack bar?" he asked him, curiously.

Max frowned.

"Cynthia and I've been at the snack bar all morning," he told him. "We haven't seen the boys."

Bones frowned. "They couldn't have gotten lost," she said. "Parker knows his way around too well for that."

"Uh oh," Angela winced, noticing the forbidding expression on Booth's face.

"Oh, they didn't get lost," he said, darkly. "They decided to go exploring."

"I don't know what that means," Bones said.

"It means Hunter lied to you, Sweetie," Angela told him. "He and Parker never had any intention of getting something to drink—they just wanted to get away for a little while and made up that excuse so you wouldn't say no."

"Oh," Bones said, crestfallen. "I'm sorry, Booth, I should have—"

"You have no reason to be sorry, Honey," he told her, kissing her forehead. "Our boys, however, are another story. I'm gonna go find 'em."

"I'm guessing they're in trouble," Angela said, watching him go.

"Honesty is the first of Booth's Big Three rules," Bones told her.

Angela winced again.

"So, they're in big trouble then," she said, not wanting to be either one of those boys when Booth found them.

"I concur with that assessment," Bones said, frowning.

And so, she had a feeling, did her husband.

…

Parker and Hunter were enjoying themselves immensely.

They had been through several of the open exhibits and many of the ones that weren't.

Whenever it looked like someone might spot them they ducked behind some large crates.

"This really is like were spies," Parker said, smiling.

"Told ya," Hunter said, pushing his glasses back on his nose.

"We should probably go back now, though," Parker told him. "Even Bones will have noticed were gone now and let's hope Dad…"

"Let's hope Dad, what?" a familiar deep voice asked from behind them, causing both to jump.

They spun around to find Booth standing there—and he did not look at all happy.

"Uh, hi, Dad," Parker put on his best 'I'm innocent' look, but didn't think his father would buy it for a minute.

Hunter bit his lip, looking down at the floor guiltily.

They had been busted, it seemed.

"You two are in big trouble," Booth told them, sternly.

"Please," his newly acquired step-son said, "don't be mad at Parker. It was my idea."

"That's not true, Dad," Parker protested, not wanting his step-brother to take all the blame. "I was the one that suggested going exploring."

"But it was my idea to lie to Mom," Hunter told him, and then winced—he'd just gave himself away.

Booth narrowed his eyes at that.

"You both owe Bones an apology," he told them, "and then we're going back to the house and having a talk. Let's go."

Grabbing their hands, he led them back to the forensics lab.

"Where were they?" Bones asked the moment she saw them.

"In the Egyptian exhibit," Booth said. "Boys, don't you have something to say?"

"We're sorry," the answered simultaneously.

Bones knelt down.

"Apology accepted," she told them, holding out her hands to them, "but next time—just ask. I wouldn't have minded letting you see the museum, but you would have had to take an adult along with you."

"But it wouldn't have been as much fun," Hunter told her, smiling.

She frowned at him, glancing at Booth.

"Was it fun enough to risk getting punished?" she asked him. "Because I think that is what's going to happen now."

Hunter sighed, shaking his head.

"C'mon, buds," Booth placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "We're headed home to have a little talk, Honey."

Bones nodded. "Hunter," she said, "you know you are to listen to Booth and do as he tells you to do, don't you?"

Hunter nodded. "Yeah, Mom, I know," he told her. "I am sorry."

"I know," she told him, kissing his cheek. "I'll see you when I get home."

He nodded and Booth turned them around and gave them a slight push toward the door.

He glanced at Bones. "What should I do?" he asked her. "I'm gonna scold 'em, of course. But…"

"He knew better than to lie to me, Booth," Bones told him. "Do what you feel is right. I'll support your decision."

"Thanks," he told her, kissing his cheek. "When we talked about discipline, I didn't think I'd have to start this soon."

"Bored little boys tend to cause trouble," she told him, "or so I've been told."

He chuckled at that. "You got that right, Baby," he told he, kissing her.

"Don't worry," he told her after they parted, "I won't tell Mrs. Booth."

The sound of her laughter echoed behind him as he joined the boys and headed for home.

TBC…


	14. Hard Handed But Soft Hearted

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning: This story _will_ contain spanking.**

**_Disclaimer_: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 14: _Hard Handed But Soft Hearted_**

_~ CP (spanking) warning in this chapter, people ~_

The drive back to the town house was a silent one.

Booth drove tight lipped the entire way, while the boys merely glanced at each other guiltily.

They were in trouble, and they knew it.

Heading inside, Booth ordered, "Parker, head up to your room. I'll be up to speak to you in a minute but right now I need to have a talk with Hunter."

Parker gave his stepbrother a sympathetic look, but hurried up the stairs—not wanting to make his dad any madder.

Booth nodded toward the couch. "C'mon, bud," he told his new stepson.

Hunter followed him to the couch and they both sat down.

"Please, Booth," Hunter pleaded before he could say anything. "Don't be mad at Parker. I talked him into it."

"But Parker could have still said no, and he should have," Booth told him. "He knew what I'd told you guys and that it was wrong to lie to Bones. That's why he's in trouble."

"Yeah, but don't be too hard on him," Hunter said, "cuz it really was my fault."

"That's between me and him, bud," Booth told him, gently. "This isn't the first time Park's in trouble and it won't be the last time, either."

Hunter nodded, sighing.

He couldn't say he hadn't tried, at least, to keep his best friend and new stepbrother out of the frying pan.

"Right now, though," Booth went on, lifting his chin so that he was looking him in the eye, "you and me need to talk."

Hunter swallowed. "Am I in big trouble, Booth?" he asked him, nervously.

"I don't know, Hunt," Booth told him, raising an eyebrow. "What does 'big trouble' usually mean for you—with your dad, I mean?"

He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring up Bryan or not, but he really needed some insight into how the boy had been disciplined in the past.

He didn't want to be too hard handed with him, after all, but neither did he want to be too soft hearted, either.

Hunter blushed, biting his lip.

"He'd smack my butt," he admitted, "but only if I did something really bad."

Booth nodded, smirking.

"I've smacked Parker's butt too when he's done something really bad," he told him, honestly.

"Oh," Hunter said, quietly. "Guess that means you're going to spank me, huh?"

"Well, that depends," Booth told him, truthfully. "If it was Parker I was talking to right now, I'd say 'yes' because he knows our rules. You, however, don't."

"What rules?" Hunter asked him, curiously.

"Most are fairly normal," Booth told him. "Keep your room clean, don't make a big mess, and do your homework— that sorta stuff. But there are three really big rules that I take very seriously, bud, and those rules are that you're to do as you're told when you're told to do or don't do something; are respectful to all adults and even other kids at _all_ times; and that you under no circumstances ever _lie_ to me or Bones."

Hunter looked very guilty.

He realized he'd just broken two of those—maybe, even, all three.

"Now," Booth said, "you definitely didn't do as I told you to and you definitely lied to your mom about where you and Parker were going. Didn't you?"

Hunter nodded.

"I expect more than a nod here, bud," Booth told him, sternly. "Answer me."

"Yes, sir," Hunter said. "I did."

"And by doing those two things," Booth told him, "you broke the rule about respect, too."

"How?" Hunter asked, curiously.

"You disrespected me because you didn't do as I told you to, which was to stay put," Booth told him. "And you disrespected your mother because you tricked her."

"We didn't trick mom," Hunter protested, though he didn't sound certain of himself.

"Oh, yes, you did," Booth told him, firmly. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you made up that story about getting something to drink, didn't you? You knew your mom would believe you because she doesn't have that much experience dealing with kids."

Hunter felt really guilty now. He had known that his mom wouldn't know the difference…

"Yeah," he admitted, quietly, "I did."

Booth nodded, proud of him for not making up some kind of excuse.

"So, you tell me," he told him. "Do you think I should spank you for what you did today?"

Hunter bit his lip and looked down again.

Booth narrowed his eyes.

Again, he lifted his chin up and spoke sternly. "I expect an answer, Hunter."

Hunter swallowed. "Yes, sir," he admitted. "I do."

If he'd been proud before, Booth was extremely proud of him now.

"Okay, then," he said, gently. "C'mere."

Standing him up, he gently lowered him across his lap—lifting one leg slightly so that his butt was raised.

This was a bit awkward for him, as he'd never had to spank another kid besides Parker before.

Oh sure, he'd threatened Sweets and swatted him—but this was going to be the real thing.

Luckily, he pretty much knew what to do.

Not wanting to prolong it, he brought his hand down across the upturned bottom with a resounding _pop!_

He spanked him quickly, not leaving an inch of his bottom untouched.

He gave him the same number of smacks he gave Parker—twenty in all, with five of those targeted directly on his sit spot--those were the hardest of the lot, too.

By the time he was finished, Hunter was crying and promising to be a perfect angel from then on--more or less.

Letting him off his lap, he pulled the boy into a big bear hug—again, the same as he always did with his own son.

He kissed the top of his head, and whispered, "It's okay, son, it's over now. I forgive you and I still love you."

Hunter cried for a few more minutes, but then calmed down.

"How come you said you love me, Booth?" he asked, his glasses fogged up from his tears.

Booth smiled, taking his glasses from him and wiping them clean. He then gently put them back in place.

"Because I do, bud," he told him. "I know we haven't known each other but a few days, but I already love you a heck of whole lot."

"But Parker's your son," Hunter reminded him.

"You're my son now, too," Booth reminded him. "By marrying your mom, I not only promised to love and cherish her, but you also. I took that vow very seriously, son."

Hunter smiled.

"I love you too, Booth," he admitted. "I miss my dad, a'course, but I'm glad I've got you now."

Booth pulled him into another hug, and then stood up.

"Now, I need to go have a talk with Parker," he told him.

"Okay," Hunter said, quietly. He didn't quite meet his eyes as he agreed, however.

Booth smirked, lifting his chin for a third time.

"You, I want to go stand in that corner 'til I get back," he told him, pointing to one of the empty corners of the room.

"But that's for babies," Hunter protested, indignantly.

Booth narrowed his eyes at him. "Hunter Brennan," he stated, sternly. "Now."

Hunter winced at the throbbing in his behind and decided he didn't want anymore swats.

"Yes, sir," he said, and headed for the corner.

Booth chuckled, shaking his head.

Loving his kids really wasn't all that hard…even if he did have to be hard handed with them, sometimes.

With that thought firmly in place, he headed upstairs to have a 'chat' with his other errant son.

…

Bones entered the townhouse to find Booth and the boys sitting down for dinner.

"Hiya, Honey," Booth greeted her, warmly. "Where're Max and Cynthia?"

"They decided to go see a movie," Bones told him, "and will be having dinner, afterwards."

Booth chuckled. "Told you," he told her, causing her to roll her eyes. "Hungry?"

Putting her stuff down, she joined them.

She hadn't failed to noticed how quiet the boys were—or the second cushions they were sitting on—but decided not to comment on it.

"This smells good," she said, sitting down.

"Dad's a good cook, Bones," Parker told her, smiling. "Even if he does make a lot of vegetables."

"Vegetables are good for you," she told him. "Hunter, do you like them?"

"Yeah, Mom," her son answered her. "Da really is a good cook."

She raised an eyebrow at Booth on that one.

He shrugged. He mouthed 'I'll explain later'.

She nodded, and started eating.

Once they were finished, the boys were put on 'dish-detail' as Booth called it and sent into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

Booth and Bones adjourned to the sofa, where she promptly started kissing him.

"Wow," Booth said, once they broke apart. "I guess you 'noticed by absense' a lot today, huh?"

She slapped his chest, playfully. "Shut up," she told him, "and yes, I did. How did it go with the boys today?"

"Well, you saw the cushions," he told her, and she nodded. "They were just hamming it up for you, though. They weren't sore for more than an hour afterwards."

"What was up with the 'Da' thing?" she asked, curiously.

"Well, after I got done 'talking' with them," Booth explained, "I made them help me out in the yard doing some hard work. In the middle of that, Hunter ups and asks me if it would be all right to call me 'Da'. I was a little confused, but I told him it was okay."

"Bryan's mother was Irish," Bones explained. "Every summer they spent a month in Ireland so its understandable he would have picked up the local vocabulary."

"Oh," Booth said, and then hesitated. "Is that okay with you? If he calls me that, I mean?"

"Of course it is, Booth," she told him. "In fact, I was thinking…"

"Uh oh," Booth said, wincing dramatically. "I usually end up shot when you start thinking…"

She slapped his chest again—this time not so playfully.

"After we finished this case, I'd like for you to adopt Hunter," she told him, seriously.

"Why?" Booth asked her, frowning.

"I'd like him to share your name, just as our child will," she told him, placing a hand on her stomach. "And I will, too."

"I thought you said…" he started to protest, but she put a finger to his lips.

"When you called me "Mrs. Booth" today, it made me feel strange," she told him, "but in a good way. I liked hearing that."

He smiled. "You did?"

She blushed. "I know it may be illogical, and I still intend to be known professionally as Dr. Brennan, but I think I'd like to legally become Mrs. Seeley Booth."

"Have I told you how much I love you?" he asked her, curiously.

"Yes," she told him, "but I kinda like hearing it."

"Me, too," he said, and leaned in for a deep kiss.

"EW, GROSS!" Two identical shouts of distain came from behind them.

They glanced back to find the boys standing there, wearing identical disgusted looks.

Booth chuckled. "Kids," he said, shaking his head. "They have the worst timing."

Bones nodded. "Later?" she asked, smirking.

He smirked back.

"Yeah," he said, and then glanced at the boys. "C'mon, guys, let's watch some television."

"I think I'll take a shower," Bones said, getting up.

"Ah, c'mon, Babe," Booth said. "There's a hokey game on!"

Bones smirked.

"I think I'll pass," she told them, "but you three have fun—just don't break anything."

"Yes, Dear," Booth said, snorting. "We're not that bad, are we guys?"

"Well, we aren't, Dad," Parker answered, smirking. Hunter laughed at that.

"Hey," Booth complained. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"Uh huh," both boys answered, smirking. "Whatever."

Bones chuckled. "Keep him in line, boys," she told them, kissing the tops of their heads.

"A crime, I tell you," Booth said, overdramatically. "It's a crime when a man can't even get any respect from his wife and kids!"

Bones smirked. "We respect you, Booth," she told him, grinning. "Just when we want to, that's all."

"Thanks a lot, Bones," he told her, scowling.

She smirked.

"Love you," she said, and then headed upstairs.

"And I sure as heck love you," Booth said, smiling.

Wrapping an arm around each of his boys, they sat back and watched his favorite team mop the ice out of the competition.

And after the game was over and the boys had been sent to bed, he adjourned to his bedroom for a little one-on-one with his beautiful wife.

Now there was a game he really got into to.

TBC…


	15. Cracking the Case

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 15: **_**Cracking the Case**_

"We gotta 'em," Booth announced, entering the lab.

Bones and her team blinked at him. "Who?" she asked him, curiously.

"The smugglers Bryan was working for," he told her, ignoring their 'rules' and kissing her.

"Am I going to have to start threatening a bucket of cold water for you two, now?" Cam asked, teasing.

Booth gave her a look.

"No," Bones said, seriously. "That won't be neccassary—Booth knows to keep it professional at work." She gave her husband an icy look.

"Looks like somebody won't be gettin' any tonight," Hodgins whispered to Zack, smirking.

"Yeah, it'll be you," Booth told him, "if you don't shut your yap."

Hodgins just grinned.

"So, now what happens?" Angela asked him, curiously.

"We've got 'em staked out," Booth told her, grinning, "and when we get a positive I.D. we go in and round 'em up."

Bones opened her mouth to speak, but he pointed a finger at her before she could.

"Not gonna happen, Honey," he told her, firmly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You don't know what I was going to say," she told him, almost poutingly.

"Yes, I do," he told her, smirking. "You were gonna ask if you can go along and I'm telling you right now the answer is no."

"Why?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Bones! You're pregnant," he reminded her, giving her a look that said that should be obvious.

"I'm not that far along," she reasoned, attempting to win through logic.

"Doesn't matter, Babe," he told her, knowing that would annoy her. "Even pregnant Agents are remanded to desk duty for the duration of their pregnancies. But even if you weren't pregnant I wouldn't let you in on it, anyway."

"Why not?" she asked, icily. "And if you say because I'm your wife…"

"You _are_ my wife, Temperance," he told her, his voice hard. "This type of bust is dangerous—way more dangerous than bringing in a single suspect. There are at least twenty men, all of them armed to the teeth. Trust me, that warehouse will be a war zone by the time we're done mopping up. You're stayin' here and that's the end of it."

"Ooh," Angela awed. "Booth in take-charge hubby mode. That's so sexy."

Booth smirked. "Ange," he said, giving her a look.

"Hey," Angela said, holding up her hands, "I call 'em as I see 'em, Seeley."

"Uh huh," he said, and then glanced at his wife. "Please, say you understand."

Bones really wished she could stay mad at him for being so high-handed with her, but she really couldn't.

He was first and foremost thinking of the safety of their child and she couldn't fault him for that.

She sighed.

"While I am not happy about you going to face danger while I must remain behind like some pre-Antabellum Belle, I must defer to your experience in this matter," she told him, stoicly.

"Was that a yes?" he asked Cam, curiously.

"That was a yes," she confirmed, "but I so agree with Hodgins—you won't be getting any tonight."

"Thanks a lot, Camille," he told her, scowling.

"You're very welcome, Seeley," she told him, sweetly—too sweetly.

Shaking his head. "Are the boys in your office?" he asked his wife.

"Yes," Bones told him. "They were told not to leave and I have a feeling after yesterday they know better than to attempt another con-job."

He smirked.

"The classics always work," he told her, grinning. "C'mon, let's go tell them the good news."

She rolled her eyes but did start down the platform with him.

Half-way to her office, she stopped him. "You will be careful, won't you?" she asked him, concerned.

"I'm always careful," he reminded her, smirking.

"I'm serious, Seeley," she told him, using his first name.

He reached out and stroked her cheek—despite that being one of her 'nothing personal at work' rules.

"I have every intention of returning to you and our boys tonight, Temperance," he told her. "I won't leave you, I promise."

"You know you can't promise that," she reminded him. "Things happen…"

"Yes, they do," he agreed, "but I've been in combat before, Honey, and I've been an agent for nearly fifteen years now."

She nodded. "I do not want to have to attend your funeral twice," she told him.

"Even if I live to be a hundred, have a Hell of a life, and die in my sleep?" he asked her, grinning.

"Statically speaking, you'll only live to be—" He stopped her with a kiss.

"Right now," he told her, "I want to go see our boys and then I want to go arrest the scum that took my son's mother and your son's father from them. Okay?"

She nodded. "I love you, Seeley," she whispered to him.

He smiled. "I love you, too, Temperance," he told her. "Now, let's go see our boys."

She nodded, and they continued the rest of the way to her office.

…

"Hey, this is so not fair, dudes," Sweets protested, as he was ganged up on by two attackers.

"You're bigger than us," Parker reminded him.

"Yeah, but there's two of you and only one of me," Sweets reminded him.

"Seems fair to me," Hunter said, grinning. "Let's get him, Park!"

"Yeah," Parker agreed and they both attacked.

Sweets fell to the floor, laughing as he was assaulted by the pillows off Dr. Brennan's sofa.

He had heard about the boys' little adventure yesterday, as well as the punishment they had received because of it, and had stopped by to see how they were doing with everything.

After the food fight, he seriously hadn't expected to get involved in a pillow fight with them but…

He smacked out with his own pillow weakly, missing both boys by a mile because he was laughing so hard.

"If he pees on that carpet, Honey," Booth voice spoke from the doorway, "I think we should rub his nose in it."

"Dad/Da!" Two excited voices exclaimed and the 'assault' stopped.

The boys ran to Booth, giving him a hug.

"Have you caught the bad guys yet?" Parker asked him.

"Not yet, buddy," Booth told him, "but we're about to. We've got 'em cornered-like rats."

"Cool," both boys exclaimed.

"Will you need my assistance, Agent Booth?" Sweets, standing up and straightening his tie, asked.

Booth gave him a look that clearly said 'yeah, right'.

"If I'm letting Bones near the op I sure as…uh…heck ain't lettin' you anywhere near it, Kid," he told him, firmly.

"But perhaps I can be…" Sweets tried again.

"I said no, Sweets," Booth told him, firmly. "You can just stay here at the lab."

"But I am not needed here, Booth," Sweets whined, almost childishly.

Booth looked at Bones, a question in his eyes.

"Go ahead," she said, smiling. She knew he couldn't resist...

Booth smiled brightly.

Sweets did not like the look of that…well, look.

"Lance," Booth said, crooking his finger at him and pointing directly in front of him.

This caused Parker and Hunter to grin at each other, smirking.

Booth silenced them with a stern look.

Hesitantly, Sweets made his way beside the larger and older man.

"What did I say?" Booth asked him, grabbing his chin firmly.

Sweets sighed. "No," he answered, as he was supposed to.

"That's right," Booth told him, "and when I say no I mean no."

He was speaking as if to a five year old—rather than a twenty-five year old.

Sweets blushed in embarrassment. Only Booth could make him feel so childish…

"Yes, sir," he answered, knowing what the correct response would have to be before he was released.

"Good boy," Booth said, patting him on the head.

Sweets sighed and turned around. "Hard ass," he muttered, sourly to himself.

Unfortunately, it was still loud enough for Booth to hear and he promptly received a smack across the butt for his little commentary.

Yelping, Sweets spun around to face the larger FBI agent.

"That's strike two, Lance," Booth told him, warningly. "Get to three…"

Sweets held up a hand. "I know," he said, "I'll be needing an extra cushion to sit on."

"Smart Kid," Booth told him, chuckling. "Aren't you proud, Honey? All our boys are really smart."

Bones rolled her eyes at him.

"Quit teasing him," she told him, "and if you're going to break this case you'd better go on."

"It's 'crack', Sweetheart, 'crack the case'," he corrected her, "and you're right. I'd better. You boys behave and don't bully Sweets too much."

"We won't," the boys promised, though they sent sly looks at their older 'brother' that had him decidedly worried.

"Be safe," Bones called after him.

He looked back, smirking.

"Always," he called back as he headed out the door.

She smiled.

"I love you."

TBC…

~I just can't help myself...I love 'torturing' Sweets every now and again. *smirks evilly*.~


	16. The Wedding of the Century

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Chapter 16: **_**The Wedding of the Century**_

The bust went down with only one minor hitch.

Booth got shot.

In the arm.

It wasn't too bad, but he would still have to wear a sling for up to six weeks.

With a few well placed threats, Bryan and Rebecca's killer was sniffed out.

Caroline promised she'd make sure he fried…literally.

They buried Bryan and Rebecca, allowing the boys to finally have some closure.

Once that was finished, there was only one thing left to do.

Angela did not let either of them forget their promise to let her throw them a 'real' wedding.

Commandeering Hodgins' credit card, with his permission of course, she set out to throw her friends the wedding of the century.

She managed to talk Cam into allowing it to be held in the lab—even going so far as to have the exam tables temporarily removed from the platform so it could be made into an altar.

The boys' tuxes were ordered—navy blue rather than classic black.

Hodgins' was chosen as Booth's best man, since Angela was to be Brennan's maid of honor.

He would have asked his brother, but Jared was away on his honeymoon in India at the moment.

Zack and Sweets were chosen as Groomsmen.

Cam and Daisy Wicks (who was chosen simply because Brennan couldn't think of anybody else to ask) were the Bridesmaids.

Hunter and Parker refused to be the ring boys ("We're too old for that!") so they became mini-ushers instead.

The bridesmaids' dresses were navy blue with white trim.

Bones' dress was a work of art—literally.

White satin, half-off the shoulder, embroidered navy blue along the bodice, waist, and hem.

Instead of a traditional train Bones' was a long silk cape, clasped onto her dress at the shoulders by a pair of silver dolphin pins.

She again wore her hair pulled back by the dolphin hair-clasp that had belonged to her mother.

She and Booth refused to remove their wedding bands, so the ceremony would simply be a renewing of their vows type deal.

Carrying a bouquet of daisies, escorted down from the lounge by her father, Bones' never looked more beautiful.

As the judge, the same one who had married them only a couple of weeks' before, walked them through the traditional wedding vows she and Booth could only smile at each other.

"Once again," the judge intoned, once he was finished, "I happily pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss…"

Booth didn't wait for him to finish, pulled his beautiful wife to him, and kissed her passionately on the lips.

All around them, their friends and family let out a loud cheer that echoed off the lab's walls for several minutes afterwards.

Booth and Bones stared into each other's eyes, both radiating happiness.

Through all the obstacles, through all the heartache, they had come out strong and well loved.

Theirs was a partnership built on trust, friendship, and respect.

Their marriage would be built on all these things, too, plus one more.

Unconditional love.

The En….

Wait! There's more!

Stay tuned...


	17. Epilogue: Surprise!

**Bones**

"**Bone of my Bone"**

**Summary****: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen. **

**Author's Note****: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?**

**Warning****: This story **_**will**_** contain spanking—though I don't know when...**

_**Disclaimer**_**: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart. **

**Epilogue: **_**Surprise!**_

Eight and Half Months later…

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S IN LABOR!"

"Don't shout at me, Seeley," Cam told him, sternly. "Dr. Brennan's water broke while she was examining the two sets of remains you brought in this morning."

"Well, why aren't you all at the hospital?" Booth asked, scowling.

"We called the paramedics but there's been some kind of emergency accident on the highway or something," Cam explained. "All ambulances are needed there."

"What about the damn helipad?!" Booth asked, frantic.

"The helicopters are also busy," Cam said. "I _am_ a doctor, Seeley…"

"That's not the point, Camille," Booth growled. "She is not giving birth in the lab!"

"There doesn't appear to be any other options," Cam said, sighing.

"Tell Bones me and the boys are on our way," Booth told her. "ETA five minutes. Tell her to cross her legs or something!"

Cam snorted. "Yeah, like that will work," she said, sarcastically.

Booth let out a not so nice epitaph and snapped his phone shut, increasing the pressure on the gas pedal a bit.

"Dad!" the boys hissed at him from the back seat.

"Is Mom okay?" Hunter asked.

Booth sighed. "She will be," he assured them. _I hope..._

He couldn't believe it.

He'd only been gone a few minutes, to pick up the boys' from school, and look what happened?

His wife certainly had interesting timing.

Pulling into the Jeffersonian Parking lot, he and the boys quickly rushed inside...and stopped in their tracks at the lab's entrance.

"WHAT THE HELL IS MY WIFE DOING LYING IN-BETWEEN TWO DEAD BODIES?!"

On the platform, Bones lay on the middle examining table with Angela to one side of her and Cam preparing various instruments.

"I believe I'm giving birth," Bones growled out, holding onto the sides of the table tightly.

"C'mon, boys," Max said, "let's join Nana up in the lounge."

Max and Cynthia had married a few months back.

Cynthia, who was a retired high school science teacher, had even gotten a job at the Jeffersonian working in the same capacity as Max—only she showed teenagers really cool science experiences rather than elementary kids.

His sons' well in hand, Booth quickly hightailed it up to the platform to join his wife.

"This is just so wrong," he said, shaking his head. "How ya doin', Honey?"

Bones sent him a death glare.

"Never mind," he said, prying her hand free and holding it. "Squeeze when it hurts."

"Okay," Bones' said, and promptly squeezed—hard.

"AHHHH!" Booth hissed, wincing.

He had forgotten his wife could break bones when she chose.

"You kinda asked for that one," Cam told him, smirking.

Booth swallowed, as Bones' let up on his hand a bit. "How she doin'?"

"I gotta admit, this is a first for me," Cam told him, "but from what I can tell she's already completely dilated. She getting ready to push."

"Already?" Booth asked, surprised. "Rebecca was in labor for hours with Parker…"

"Some births are faster than others," Cam told him, "and this would be Dr. Brennan's second time to give birth. That's also a factor."

"Ahhh!" Bones cried out.

"I know, Sweetie, but you're doing good," Angela took her friend's other hand. "You've got to push now."

"You can do it, Honey," Booth encouraged.

"Okay, Dr. Brennan," Cam said. "PUSH!"

"AHHHH!" Three voices all yelled out as Bones began to push and squeeze the hands holding hers at the same time.

Fifteen minutes later…

The dual sound of crying echoed throughout the lab.

Max, Cynthia, Sweets, Zack, and the boys all came to look down onto the platform.

Bones held a beautiful baby boy in her arms…and Booth held his equally beautiful twin brother in his.

"Surprise!" he called up to all of them, smiling like the very proud papa he was at that moment.

"Hey, twins!" Hodgins said, smiling.

"A most interesting turn of events," Zack agreed, earning a look from everybody. "Well, it is."

"How you feelin', baby?" Max called down to his daughter.

Bones smiled up at her father. "Sore and tired," she said, "but illogically happy."

"Wonderful!" Cynthia called out to her step-daughter. There were tears in her eyes, she was so happy.

"How you doin' Booth?" Sweets asked, smirking. "How's the hand?"

Booth scowled up at him. "Do you want to get to strike three, Lance?" he asked, grinning wickedly.

Lance quickly shook his head.

"Quit teasing him," Bones admonished her husband, "and let's tell them their names."

"Yes, dear," Booth said, smiling brightly. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present Misters Keenan Maxwell Booth and Brennan Henry Booth."

Keenan had a head full of dark black hair like his father, while Brennan's hair was lighter—with streaks of red in it, like his mother.

"C'mon down, guys," Booth called to Parker and Hunter. "Meet your new brothers."

Parker and Hunter both whooped and raced down the stairs to the platform. They were both amazed at how tiny the babies were.

Just then, the paramedic arrived.

"Uh," one of them said, "I think we may have missed something."

"No duh, dude," Sweets called down to him, while everybody else laughed.

"Let's get you three to the hospital," Booth whispered to Bones. "You did good, Sweetheart."

"_We_ did good," she corrected him, as she was wheeled out to the ambulance with her sons in her arms.

Booth nodded.

"Yeah," he agreed, as they got in. "We did."

The ambulance doors were closed and they headed for the hospital with their two new bundles of joy.

No matter what, from that moment on their lives would never be the same.

And they wouldn't have it any other way.

The End.

~So, what did you think? Please, let me know. ~


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